Joker's Gambit
by SpiralAK
Summary: In order to keep Makoto from gaining any more information on the Phantom Thieves, Joker takes matters into his own hands. This backfires, leaving Joker to deal with the consequences of his choice.
1. Chapter 1

The student council room loomed in front of me, a veritable palace that begged for someone to plunder its depths. Unlike an actual Palace, there wasn't a Treasure waiting to be stolen. When I entered the small room, I saw the ruler of the student council leaning against the lone table. With her short brown hair, pale skin and placid smile, Makoto Niijima looked the part of the unassuming and kindly senior. After all, she was the bridge between the students and the faculty.

I knew and she knew that she was anything but. Appearances never told the whole story, not in my experience.

"You arrived earlier than I expected," she said. Her calculating red eyes analyzed me, like a hunter stalking its prey. "Have a seat."

Make no mistake, this wasn't a request. There wasn't any choice I could take that wouldn't benefit her in some way.

However, if I was going to be interrogated, I might as well get comfortable.

"I'll get straight to the point," she said, after we sat down. "Tell me the truth behind the Phantom Thieves' incidents."

Another question with no 'right' choice: either I gave her the answer she craved or I kept quiet, which would only make her even more suspicious.

Of course, that was her plan. Every question the interrogator made was designed to gain a result, and the interrogator's motive was never pure. Only the interests of the interrogator and their superiors mattered; petty ideals like truth, justice or even the defendant's innocence were irrelevant.

The only thing that mattered in this game was victory.

"Cat got your tongue?" I tensed up, for just a second, but I disguised it by slouching in my chair. She couldn't have known about Morgana. "I'm not surprised. There's no way you'd admit to your crimes."

Just like I thought. That was when she pulled out her phone, setting it on the table.

"Have a listen," she said, pushing it a little so I could hear my worst fears come to life: Ryuji and Ann talking about being the Phantom Thieves, secure in the knowledge that no one would hear them. Except, that wasn't true at all. She recorded us, that day in the courtyard.

"We screwed up," Morgana said. He was absolutely right. If there was any consolation, it was that she couldn't hear him. It would be hard to explain why I had a talking cat in my bag. At least that – and thinking that blackmail or hypnosis would work on an asshole like Kamoshida – told us she had no knowledge of the Metaverse, and no proof that wouldn't be laughed out of a just court.

It wouldn't be a problem, except true justice didn't exist at all.

"Won't you tell me how you did it?" my interrogator asked.

I could have answered that in three different ways. It only deserved one answer. "Ask the culprits," I said, sitting up straight and looking her dead in the eye.

That earned me a glare. Or maybe she had been glaring the whole time. "Was that supposed to be funny? You want to say that this won't prove anything, but it'd be a mistake to think that. This recording proves that I'm right: you three are the Phantom Thieves."

My head started to ache, like needles were pricking my brain and rattling my skull. If she knew, if she really knew, then there was only one reason why she was bothering with this farce, and it wasn't just to waste my time.

"What would the police think if they heard this recording?" she asked, smiling at me. She was so sure that she had me trapped. I wished she was still glaring at me.

Morgana didn't have to tell me that police surveillance would be a bad thing. Suspicion was all they needed to revoke my probation and haul me off to their prison. I couldn't let them take me away from the few friends I had made. I wouldn't let them keep me from exposing the corruption that lay beneath the surface of this city, not until we showed the world what the true meaning of justice was.

"If you confess, I wouldn't mind leaving this just between the two of us." Lies, all lies. This had to be a ploy to get me off-guard. There was no way she'd let a delinquent go unpunished if he didn't conform. "You'll tell me, won't you?"

At that moment, there was nothing more that I wanted to do than fling all of her crap back in her smug face, but it wouldn't help.

"Let me think about it."

"I believe that time would be wasted."

My time was already being wasted, having to deal with these vapid accusations. I could be doing anything else right now: hanging out with my friends, helping out a confidant, working on my social skills, even reading a book. I wasn't interested in entertaining a stalker who was more interested in chasing an exciting rumour than focusing on the real issues this school faced.

Then again, if she was actually doing her job, I wouldn't be in this room at all.

At that moment, I got a phone call. Finally, someone decided to save me from this misery. The second after I read the caller ID, I did everything I could not to swear. Ryuji couldn't have called at a worse time.

"Go ahead," she said, like she was granting me a blessing.

The choice, like always, was rigged from the start. If I answered, Ryuji would give the game up without even knowing the game was being played, but not answering would prove I had something to hide. There was no guarantee I could make an excuse that she wouldn't see through, but even so, there was only one choice I could make.

Ignore the call and put the phone away.

"What's the matter, afraid I'll hear your conversation? Don't worry, I won't get in your way. Whoever was calling you must have had something important to say. I can't imagine you get many calls."

A scowl crossed my face. "You don't know a thing about me."

"That's why we're here, aren't we? I want to know everything about you."

I glanced at the door, so far away. Leaving wasn't an option, because it would prove that she was right. She'd keep on following me, popping up in the Shibuya subway station, the underground mall or anywhere else I went, hungry for any scraps of information she could grab. She'd even tail me all the way to Yongen-Jaya, if she hadn't already. She'd show up whenever I tried to meet up with Ryuji or Ann, or interrogate them in private if she felt like it. Even Yusuke wasn't safe.

"Believe it or not, I want to help you," she said. Her arms were crossed now, but that infuriating smile was still there, taunting me. "With your record, it would be a catastrophe if word got out that you were part of the Phantom Thieves."

"It would be a catastrophe if I sneezed on the wrong person."

"More jokes?"

"What else did you expect?"

A stifling silence fell over the room after that, but I didn't mind. She really should have saw this coming. On top of everything else, she thought that by giving the poor criminal transfer student some kind words and a pretty smile, he'd be putty in her hands.

She couldn't fool me.

"I see. It's such a shame you won't listen to reason. You know, before I had Ms. Kawakami fetch you, we had a very productive conversation. I can't imagine what she'd think if she found out you were a menace to society instead of just another petty delinquent."

My hand slammed on the table. "Leave her out of this! She's innocent!"

"Struck a nerve, did I? It's clear you aren't comfortable. All you have to do is confess, and I'll let you go. I wasn't lying when I said I'd keep this between us. Your friends –"

I shot out of my chair so fast that it toppled over. "Shut up!"

"Excuse me?" Her arms had shot to her sides, but somehow, _somehow_ , she was still smiling. This interrogation wasn't enough, she just had to make this problem personal.

"You heard me. I'd rather take my chances than listen to your garbage for a second longer."

"Is that so?"

"Calm down!" Morgana said. "This is what exactly what she wants, an excuse!"

There was no point in wasting any more time. A ruler was never convinced by words. Only action.

Before she could react, I grabbed her phone. The ruler's smile slipped from her face, as those red eyes grew in size until they threatened to pop from her skull.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Blood pumped in my ears, drowning out the rest of the noise. Her Treasure was in my hand, but stealing it wouldn't be sufficient, not in the real world.

I threw the phone against the hardwood floor with all my strength. The screen cracked on impact, but that was just the start. I stomped on it, over and over, until it was nothing more than metal scrap and shards of glass. She shoved me away from the remains, immediately scooping them up. Her scowl was haunting.

"You did this to yourself," I said, grabbing my bag and hefting it over my shoulder. It was time to escape. "Now stay away from me and my friends."

I ran out of the room before she could react. I kept on running until I reached the station, darting around anyone who got in my way. Once I entered the closest train, I grabbed the nearest bar and took a deep breath.

Then I grinned like a man possessed by madness. Sweat leaked down my face, and my legs burned hotter than a bonfire, but none of that mattered.

I was free, and I planned to make the most of the freedom I had seized.

* * *

Being just another face in the crowd had its perks. No one cared who I was, I didn't have to hear those awful rumours, and it was easy to get lost in the rush of folks hustling from one place to the next. There was one problem, though: finding someone in Shibuya without knowing where they'd be or where they were headed was like searching for treasure in a landfill.

Most people looked similar enough that I could find who I was looking for and still be wrong, much like someone who found trash that was spray-painted gold. Even with my Third Eye, it took time to sort out the wheat from the chaff, but it was time well-spent. I couldn't let anyone follow me, especially _her_ , and I counted my lucky stars that she hadn't followed me this time.

Of course, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't show up later on, but as far as I was concerned, her absence was proof that what I did actually worked.

About halfway to the hideout, I felt Morgana's paws press against my neck, hard enough to grab my attention without actually hurting. He hadn't spoken since we left Shujin, other than asking for fresh air. I was in for it now.

"How are you doing?" he asked. Fortunately, the claws weren't out, in both senses of the term.

"I'm alright."

"Really? I thought you'd still be mad."

I chuckled. "I'm not. Not anymore."

"That's good." He rubbed my neck with his head, making it tingle. Soon enough, a smile pulled at the corners of my mouth. It was the first time I actually smiled since school ended.

"I thought you'd be mad at me," I said.

"I was," Morgana said, "but you needed some time to cool down, and shouting at you wouldn't help either of us."

I was a bit worried when Morgana hadn't shouted at me, for what it implied. He was the type who always had an opinion on something and wasn't afraid to voice that opinion, especially when he was angry.

It seemed liked there wasn't any need to assume. Besides, he was right: time to breathe and think did us both a lot of good.

"Still, I never imagined you'd do something so reckless."

"Neither did I."

"Then why did you do it?"

My friends came into view just then: Ryuji was lounging on the floor, Ann was flipping through a fashion magazine and Yusuke was drinking out of a soda can.

"You'll get your answer now," I said.

Morgana tapped my neck once before jumping to the floor, sticking the landing. Show off. "If you say so."

I made eye contact with Ryuji, and without any prompting, he immediately climbed to his feet. His grin was infectious, a welcome sight. "Look who it is!" he said. "I thought you'd never show up."

"Sorry about that, but it wasn't my choice."

"What happened?" Ann asked, magazine closed and clutched in her hand.

"Makoto happened," I said. "She had me come to the student council room."

She grimaced. "Ouch. Talk about a disaster in the making."

"And I tried to call you, too, about our meeting," Ryuji said. Suddenly, he scowled. "Damn it! I nearly effed things up."

I smiled. "Don't beat yourself up over it. Now that you know, send us a message first if you want to talk about the Phantom Thieves. That way, we can prevent any accidents from happening."

Ryuji grinned. "Got it."

"Is Makoto the girl who was bothering you about the Phantom Thieves?" Yusuke asked, after setting his can on the railing.

"Yup," Ann said, frowning. "Can't stand her, and that's when I'm not alone with her. How do you even deal with that?"

"It's pretty hard," I said. "She tried to get me to confess."

"How? There's no way she has proof."

"She had a recording on her phone with you and Ryuji talking about the Phantom Thieves," Morgana said.

That brought a scowl to Ann's face. "You're kidding me. How can this be?"

Yusuke smirked, but I wasn't sure why. "It appears that this Makoto is more resourceful than anticipated." He looked at me, and frowned. "However, if she has sufficient proof, then why didn't she report you to your principal?"

"She wanted to make a deal," I said. "If I confessed, she said she'd leave things between us."

"Bullshit," Ryuji said. "There's no way she'd ever do that."

"I thought so, too, but the deck was stacked against me. She still had the recording, she wouldn't let me go, and she was really pissing me off. Even if I left on my own, she wouldn't give up until she took me down. So I did the only thing I thought would work: I broke her phone."

They were shocked, to say the least. A part of me had dreaded breaking the news to them for that reason, but at that moment, I felt a weight lift from my chest. If I hid this from them, I'd be lying to the few people who actually cared about me, leaving them unprepared if _she_ tried to use what I did against them.

"Why?" Yusuke asked, eyes narrowing. "What could compel you to do something so rash?"

I met his glare. "I did it to make a statement."

"By breaking her phone?"

"Yes. If she wants to take down the Phantom Thieves, then she'd better prepare for the worst, because I am _not_ giving up without a fight."

Yusuke stared at me, the moment stretching for far longer than I was comfortable with. He turned away first, not bothering to respond. The sheer disappointment he exuded stung more than any rebuttal he could have made.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to her nonsense, but you shouldn't have broken her phone," Ann said. "This proves that you were hiding something big, and now she has leverage over you. She'll never forget what you did."

"I know. I know that breaking her phone wasn't the right thing to do, but you know what? I don't care. She's given me no reason to care about her well-being, not when she stalks me every day, not when it feels like she talks to me just so she can make me feel like scum." I took a deep, shaky breath. "Not when she tries to get me to do what she wants by bringing up you guys."

"That's how they catch you, man, by getting personal and targeting the people you care about," Ryuji said. He put his hand on my shoulder. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Are you speaking from experience?" Yusuke asked.

"Yeah." But he didn't elaborate, not at first. I couldn't blame him. It was a deeply personal, unpleasant memory, and those were always hard to share.

"You know Kamoshida, right? He called me in front of the entire track team and started talking shit. He did his best to piss me off, but I wasn't going to take his bait... until he brought up my mom. I punched him, just like he wanted. Then the asshole broke my leg in 'self-defense', and used me as an excuse to disband the track team."

Silence fell over our group, Yusuke, in particular, was frowning, brow furrowed in thought. Perhaps he was reflecting on this revelation. I certainly was. It was hard, knowing that someone so horrible could get away with doing such awful things, and that this wasn't remotely unique.

That's why the Phantom Thieves existed, to bring these kinds of people to justice. It was a reminder I needed to hear.

"I see," he said. "You didn't deserve to go through that. No one does."

A wan smile formed on Ryuji's face. "Thanks, but it's in the past. I got better, and Kamoshida's rotting in jail. The best thing I can do now is to move forward and not make the same mistakes." He squeezed my shoulder. "You should do the same."

I shrugged Ryuji's hand off me. "Not if it means tolerating her crap. I'm sick of getting blackmailed and bullied by corrupt, power-hungry assholes, especially by someone who wouldn't give us the time of day if she didn't have something to gain."

"We're sick of it, too, but it ain't worth getting worked up over it, and it ain't you. Besides, breaking her phone might get her off your back right now, but what about the next time she makes you mad?"

"Ryuji's right," Ann said. "You can't let her get to you like this. That's how she wins, and you're better than her."

I searched her expression for answers, staring at her sky blue eyes. All I could see was red. "Easier said than done."

Ann frowned. "Who said it was easy? Not letting people get under my skin is something I struggle with too, but you shouldn't let anyone compromise who you are and what you stand for, especially for someone who wants you to fail."

"There is always another way," Yusuke said. "Remember the goal that you are striving towards rather than lashing out and whatever you do, don't fall victim to the flames of passion."

They all had good points, but as much as I appreciated what they were trying to do... it wasn't enough.

"How does this solve my problem?"

"For one, it grants Makoto less ammunition to use against you," he said. "It allows you to learn her tricks to prevent her manipulation from working. It lets you come to us, so that we can help you find a solution to whatever predicament you're currently facing. I can go on, if need be. I've given this a lot of thought."

"That won't be necessary," I said, smiling at him. If this was a test, then Yusuke just aced it. "You gave me exactly what I wanted."

He smiled, in return. "If you're sure. After all, the last thing we need is for our leader to be arrested."

"Let's hope that doesn't happen," I said.

Ryuji grinned. "If it does, then I'm blaming Yusuke for jinxing you."

"Can we not?" Ann asked, tossing us an exaggerated glare. "If anyone's going to be responsible, it isn't gonna be Yusuke." She winked at me. "It'll probably be Ryuji running his mouth where everyone can hear him."

We all laughed, while Ryuji threw his hands up in the air. "Come on, it was only one time! And I learned my lesson, too. No more bragging about the you-know-whats from me."

"Some lessons need to be repeated," Morgana said, out of nowhere. He climbed onto my shoulder with the grace of a gymnast and the subtlety of a pro wrestler.

"Where did you even go?" Ryuji asked.

"I was keeping an eye out for any pests." He peered at me with those inhumanly blue eyes. "I couldn't find any."

"Good." Ann smiled. "Nice job, Morgana."

Morgana bowed his head, turning away from me and everyone else. "Thank you."

With no pressing leads or potential targets, there wasn't much else to do, now that I'd said my piece. All of this talk had exhausted me, mentally and emotionally. However, I had one more thing to say before I could go. Something important, and something I should have said earlier.

"I owe you all an apology," I said. "I'm sorry for losing my cool and letting my temper get the best of me."

"It's okay," Ann said, a slight smile curving her lips. "It happens to all of us."

"Don't worry about messing up," Ryuji said. "We'll be here to help you get back on track."

"Take heart, my friend," Yusuke said. He grabbed his soda can and held it out to me. "This shall pass, and if all goes well, there won't be anything to worry about."

I took the offered drink and let the grape-flavoured tang of Quelorie Magic drown my throat. No need to go to the gym with this. I wondered if Risette had friends who gave her the support she needed to continue being an idol, like I had friends to keep me grounded.

"Thank you," I told Yusuke, after handing him his can. "I'm gonna get going. See you later."

We exchanged goodbyes and I set off towards Leblanc, hands in my pockets and a relieved smile on my face. This wasn't over, not by a long shot, but the road ahead wasn't as frustrating or agonizing as it was in the moments before I broke that phone.

"You handled yourself pretty well out there," Morgana said. "Not bad, for a rookie."

"How did you hear me when you weren't around?"

Morgana chuckled. "I can hear everything."

I nodded. "Good to hear."

That provoked a sigh. "Seriously, though, you're our leader. We shouldn't have to tell you to stay calm and not blow up at the first sign of trouble."

"You were there."

"I know she gave you a really hard time, and I don't blame you for getting angry. I blame you for how you reacted. Fortunately, this isn't something that can't be fixed. We just need to find out what we have to do."

"Good point."

The more I thought about it, the fewer upsides I saw in the choice I made. Even though the rush of shoving her trash back in her face felt really good, it wasn't that helpful in the long run.

For now, though, I'd plan and reflect, and when the time came, I'd be ready.

* * *

We came up with something over text. I would go ahead and find out if I was in the clear. Since I hadn't been visited by a probation officer, it seemed like everything was fine, but there was no way of knowing if I was truly safe or if this was merely the calm before the storm. Ideally, I would do this after school ended: I wasn't looking forward to seeing her, and I didn't like the idea of grovelling to save my hide.

Of course, life has a way of punching you in the mouth when you start making plans. When I got off the train at Aoyama-Itchome, guess who was waiting for me, smiling like she was my best friend. I tried to ignore her and walk to school like she didn't exist, but she never give me the chance, stepping beside me and shadowing my every move.

"Good morning," she said.

Fortunately for me, it was early enough that barely anybody would see us walking together, even if we were still in the station.

"Lovely weather we're having, aren't we?" she asked in a saccharine tone.

"Don't forget the plan," Morgana said.

I might as well get this over with while I could still take the initiative. "About what happened..."

"Save it." Her tone had tightened like piano wire pulled taut, ready to snap at any moment. To think, that she might have forgotten. "We'll be heading to the courtyard. It'll be harder to pull off any shenanigans out in the open, but there's no need to worry. We'll have all the privacy you'll need."

I wasn't going to let her set the playing field this time, and I refused to let her walk me through Shujin like her dog. While she had a point about the privacy, there had to be another way, and it took until we left the station for me to find one.

"I have a better idea," I said, and began to explain.

The alleyways where the Phantom Thieves started off were perfect: there was enough privacy that no one could hear us without getting too close, and all they'd see was the student council president having a shady meeting with the scary transfer student, rather than the president finally putting a leash on a rabid delinquent.

"Very well," she said, after I finished.

I led her to an alley close to the school and stood near the wall, facing her. Her concession was a shock, but I couldn't get my hopes up. Once we were settled, I steeled my resolve. It was time to get the ball rolling.

"Regarding what happened yesterday, I –"

"Don't apologize," she said. A scowl split her face. "You and I both know you don't mean it."

This was why I didn't hope, because this was the one thing I expected her to say. Time for Plan B.

"You're right. I have nothing to apologize for. I told you to stay away from me, but you didn't listen."

"And I told you to give me back my phone, but you went ahead and broke it. What goes around comes around."

For the life of me, I couldn't remember her saying that. Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe she was lying. It didn't really matter.

"You gave me no other choice. If you were trying to actually do your job, fine, but –"

"I am doing my job!"

"Is stalking me part of that job? Who gave you the right to follow me around and violate my privacy?"

She stepped into my personal space, glaring at me with venom in those damned red eyes. "I'm the student council president! That means I have the power to do whatever's necessary to protect my school and its students from anything that might harm it, including violent assholes like you!"

I returned her glare, confident my glasses magnified its intensity. "That still doesn't justify what you did! Did you think it was okay to do all of that just because I'm a delinquent? Did you think it was fine to involve my teacher in your little farce just so you could dig up some dirt on me? Or did you do all of this because you're too much of a coward to ask before doing all this?"

"I _did_ try to ask you, damn it! I thought that unlike your friends, you might be interested in having a reasonable conversation with me. I really wanted to help you, but you threw it back in my face!"

"Well, maybe if you didn't threaten my friends, then none of this would have happened. Maybe if you treated me or Ann or Ryuji like human beings instead of human garbage, then we'd be happy to help you out!"

"I can't believe you have the _gall_ to blame me for your mistakes after what you did. If you think for even one second that bullying and threats are going to stop me from bringing you to justice, then you're even dumber than your idiotic friends."

This was just like yesterday. From the physical signs – the shortness of breath, veins tightening around my eyes, heat boiling over in my chest, a scowl baring clenched teeth – to the way the argument was escalating... at the rate this was going, it was only a matter of time before I had another breakdown.

And it hurt. It hurt that she was getting to me so easily, just by targeting the people I cared about. It hurt that I couldn't dismiss what she was saying. It hurt that even if I knew that this wasn't right, even though my friends told me to keep calm and stay cool, I just couldn't help myself.

Something had to give, and neither of us could budge without risking everything.

I took a deep breath, and counted to ten. After I regained some semblance of calm, I took a step back.

"We're not the bad guys," I said. "We're just trying to protect ourselves, and it's hard to trust a system that's failed us."

She sighed. Her scowl had cooled off into a stern frown. "I want to believe that you're telling the truth, but I don't have proof. What I do have is evidence that you're involved with the Phantom Thieves." She smiled, coy yet self-satisfied. "Did you think I'd be foolish enough to not have backups of the recording?"

"No. What's your point?"

"Imagine what would happen if the principal learned about how our meeting went."

Staying calm would get me through this. I'd already lost my temper twice. Out in public, any wrong move would be broadcast to the whole world, even if no one was around to see it.

"What's stopping you?"

The smile widened, just a touch. "You are. The fact that you went that far to destroy the recording just proves I was right to follow you around. It's clear that you don't want to co-operate, but while I could force you to confess, I have something else in mind."

"And? What is it?"

She chuckled. "You'll know what you have to do soon enough. I'll just say that you'll get your chance to prove yourself."

"Are you still going to follow me around?"

"No, I have all I need from you. And if you're worried about me spilling the beans, don't be. It'll be our little secret. For now."

She clutched the strap on her bag and left the alley, joining the throng of students and grabbing their attention, which let me weave into the crowd and slip into the school almost unnoticed. There just had to be someone who'd look at me funny or whisper about some terrible rumour to their pals. This time it was about my meeting with Makoto, and it was as off-base as always.

Not that I was complaining.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone rapidly approaching me. Luckily, it was only Ann, who glared at everyone who looked at her.

"Good morning," she said, smiling at me. I didn't return it. "Are you okay?"

"Guess who I ran into."

Her glare returned, with a vengeance. "So those rumours _were_ true. What happened?"

I planned to explain what happened in detail when we met up with the rest of the gang after school, but for now, an abridged version would be enough.

"I thought you were exaggerating when you said she was stalking you," she said, "but I shouldn't have expected anything less from someone like her."

"She said she wouldn't follow me anymore, but I doubt she'll keep her word."

Ann scoffed. "I'm surprised she even admitted to it in the first place."

A smirk briefly parted my lips. "I am too."

There was a lot to take in from that confrontation. I forced myself to focus on the positives, positives like not being completely screwed over, or not having what I said rejected out of principle. Not much, but it was better than nothing.

"I didn't want to say it in front of the others, but I was kind of hoping your little stunt would work," Ann said, after we reached the second floor. "I still don't agree with what you did, but quite frankly, she got what she deserved. Hell, if it meant she'd back off, I could live with what you did."

I nodded. "It sucks that it didn't work, though."

"I don't think anything's going to stop her from getting what she wants."

We entered our classroom soon after and once I reached my desk, I put down my bag and let Morgana free. Ann, of course, took her seat in front of me, immediately turning my way.

"What were you thinking?" Morgana asked. "It's like you wanted to get caught. We're lucky she didn't rat you out."

I frowned. "I did what I planned to do from the start. Now she knows how I feel, and I know what she plans to do."

Morgana sighed. The sound was disturbingly long. "You're lucky it worked, but you'll only get lucky so many times."

"At least we have a chance to turn things around," Ann said. "I still don't like how much leverage she has over us, but it's not as bad as it could be."

"The problem is that she could make us do anything she wants and get away with it," I said.

"That's just something we'll have to keep in mind," Morgana said.

It would be easier if I knew what she wanted us to do, but I didn't. It would be easier if we could just take her into the Metaverse, but that was guaranteed to backfire in the worst possible way. It would be easier if I could trust her not to screw us over, but I couldn't, not with how far things had gone.

In the meantime, she had us on her leash just because I refused to let her do what she wanted. There had to be a reason why she was so determined to stop us, beyond just wanting to be a good student council president. If she was like Kamoshida, then there wouldn't have to be a reason, but I doubted it was that simple.

The answer came to me at lunch, after I checked the MetaNav on a whim. While she wasn't distorted enough to have a Palace, Mementos told a different story, and when I saw her name, everything fell into place. Nothing, not fear or reason, would stop her until we were brought to justice. It was only a matter of time before she gave us our marching orders.

All because she had a Shadow lurking in Mementos.

Nothing ordinary would deter her from her path. The only choice, then, was to resort to the extraordinary.


	2. Chapter 2

"Extraordinary?" The interrogator's voice brims with rage. "You tried to steal my sister's heart?"

Time is on his side. The trickster has learned from harsh failure.

"I'm surprised." Her face is porcelain, now. Only the glare in her brown eyes betrays any emotion. "This doesn't fit the Phantom Thieves' MO. To think, that a mere high school student would bring a hero of justice so low." She slams the table with a slender hand. The sound echoes across the room. "Tell me what happened!"

As long as Sae Niijima understands, everything shall proceed as planned.

"Very well."

* * *

Before I could change anyone's heart, my friends had to know what happened. That meant we needed privacy. Under normal circumstances, I'd be fine with meeting at the hideout, but my target absolutely couldn't know about my plan.

I considered going to Leblanc, but I didn't want to be followed there and deal with the car crash that would ensue if Sojiro found out about my... relationship with the student council president.

Instead, I decided to have our meeting at the Shibuya diner, taking great care to ensure I wasn't followed. The few people currently in the diner were ensconced in their own conversations, but we huddled up in a secluded corner booth and ordered drinks immediately, just to be safe.

There was always the possibility that someone would still hear us, but as long as we were careful, I was confident that we could keep things under control.

"Are all these precautions truly necessary?" Yusuke asked, after the waitress arrived with our order. He was seated on the far side of the booth, next to Ryuji and facing Ann. As for Morgana, I'd placed my bag on the table and opened it so he could see us.

"Yes," I said. I took a sip from my cup of Hot Coffee. Not as good as Leblanc's, but still decent in its own right. It filled me with liquid courage. "Let me explain."

I gave my report, recapping my meeting and explaining my borderline paranoid caution, sparing no detail while doing so. When I finished, I took a deep breath and waited. I didn't want to dwell on their reactions, especially if they weren't positive, but it was important that I listened.

No matter what happened, I had to accept responsibility for my actions. Talking to my friends helped me do that. It kept me honest, even if the truth was painful.

"Looks like we got a lucky break," Ryuji said, grinning like always. "All we have to do is do what she says and we're in the clear, right?"

"That appears to be the case," Yusuke said, as he opened his can of Dr. Salt NEO. "However, this all feels a tad excessive. Makoto did say she wouldn't follow us, after all."

"You really think she'll keep her word?" Ann asked, matter-of-fact.

"I cannot say, since all I know about her is what you've told me." He took a sip. "I do know that she didn't appear yesterday, so it stands to reason that her word might carry some weight."

"Eh, I dunno," Ryuji said, giving his Muscle Tea can a good shake. "It might be a plan to catch us off-guard. Then again, she did give us a chance to get out of this mess. I say we swallow our pride and take it, before she changes her mind."

Ann frowned. "That's the problem. I'm willing to do what she says, but only if it's something we can actually do. If she has us search for flying pigs or something equally insane, I'm out."

"That would be a daunting task," Yusuke said. "I doubt she'd be satisfied with a painting of a flying pig."

"Of course not, and we shouldn't be, either," Morgana said. "If she wants us to catch a flying pig, then I'll shoot down its wings myself."

Ryuji grimaced. "Maybe you should aim a bit lower."

"We don't have a choice."

"What if we did?" I asked.

Morgana tilted his head. "What are you talking about?"

"If we don't have a choice, let's make one. I bet she'd listen if she had a change of heart."

He blinked, staring at me like I'd spawned a new head. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I am."

Then, realization dawned and all eyes fell on me.

"Don't do it," Morgana said. "Do you really think this'll help us? We don't even know the real reason why she's investigating the Phantom Thieves. For all we know, this could just be a pet project of hers that she's taking way too seriously."

I made eye contact with Morgana, and while the cat wasn't as expressive as he was in the Metaverse, his glare was sharp enough to give me pause. "What does it matter? Her Shadow will tell us everything we need to know, then we beat it. Problem solved."

"What matters is that going ahead with your plan would go against everything the Phantom Thieves stand for. And don't you think it'd be an awfully funny coincidence if the Phantom Thieves stole the heart of an innocent girl who just so happened to be investigating the Phantom Thieves?"

"She's _not_ innocent."

"That's not what the public would think. Besides, doing this would only put pressure on us that we don't need."

I sighed. "We're already under pressure. If we do this, then we can lay low until the heat dies down. Nobody will come after us because they don't know where to look."

"And then what?" Yusuke asked. Instead of a frigid stare, he was studying me, brow slightly furrowed. His soda can lay in front of him, empty. "Will the next person who inconveniences you suffer the same fate?"

"It depends."

"On something arbitrary, I imagine."

I frowned. "You're acting like if I do this, I'd be going past the point of no return. I'm not doing this on a whim."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"I've given this a lot of thought."

He chuckled. "I see. For the record, I don't believe that changing Makoto's heart will make you irredeemable. However, doing so would establish a very dangerous precedent. The temptation to change someone else's heart without due cause would grow more potent with time, and if left unchecked, it would corrupt your mind until abusing your power is all that you know."

Ryuji clicked his tongue, but didn't actually say anything. Ann watched me as she nursed a glass of water. So far, I wasn't getting the support I wanted, but some pushback was inevitable. It would be naïve to assume everyone would fall in line just because I asked them to.

"I get what you're saying, but it's like I said, I'm not doing this on a whim. That's why I'm talking to you guys, so I can make sure that I'm doing the right thing."

"You're not," Morgana said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Hey, I call it like I see it, and this isn't what I expected from you. I'm disappointed."

"Morgana's got a point," Ryuji said, wincing slightly. "You're going off the deep end. Makoto might not be innocent, but she ain't like Kamoshida or Madarame. Hell, she's not even as bad as those assholes we beat in Mementos."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked.

"I know she could be a lot worse. Stalking you was pretty shitty of her, but that's the only thing she did that she didn't do to the rest of us. Also, she didn't rat you out after you gave her every reason to, _and_ she wants to make a deal with us." He took a swig from his Muscle Tea, setting the can down when he finished. "I dunno, man. It sounds legit."

"You just said that this deal could be a trap," I said.

Ryuji frowned. "You're the one that said she 'really' wanted to help you."

"I didn't take her seriously."

"Maybe you should."

"Keep it down!" Ann said.

My head began to ache, like clockwork. How could I have forgotten? I was lucky that nobody had noticed, but luck wasn't limitless.

"And then what, she screws us over?" I asked, keeping my voice down. "I'll pass."

Ryuji's frown deepened, becoming a fierce scowl. "It's better than whatever you're doing right now. I wouldn't change her heart just because she got to me."

Of all the things he could have said...

"This isn't about revenge! She wants to get rid of us, keep us from achieving our goals. I refuse to let her win."

Ryuji's mouth opened, but it quickly went shut. He took a deep breath.

"It's funny," he said, staring right through me. "Yusuke said that changing Makoto's heart would warp your mind, but it's already happening."

I let go of my cup, just barely able to keep my hands steady. "What?"

"You want to piss all over the one chance we have to fix this just because Makoto got one over you. I don't blame you for getting mad, but you're letting your anger make your choices for you. It has to stop, 'cause if it doesn't, Makoto's going to be the least of our problems. How can we keep on doing good if our leader's heart is distorted?"

"That is impossible, isn't it?" Yusuke asked.

Morgana nodded. "It is, but Ryuji's not wrong, either. A Persona user can still lose track of their true self due to external pressure, even if they can't create a Palace."

"There's nothing to worry about," I said. "I know that this isn't a good idea. If I had another choice, I wouldn't even think about doing this, but there's too much riding on this to trust someone like Makoto. She'll bring you guys down, too, and I can't –" I swallowed a tough lump. "I don't want her to hurt any of you."

Ryuji sighed. "I'm grateful for that, don't get me wrong... but it sounds like an excuse."

I rubbed my forehead and took a sip from my coffee, lukewarm now. "Maybe it is."

Even if I caught on to this distortion, it wouldn't have mattered. It would just be another mask, a persona that I could control. It would have been easier if I had a satisfying answer to this conundrum, but I didn't.

"What about you, Ann?" I asked. "What do you think?"

Ann pushed her glass of water away, leaving it half-full. She stared at me with heavy-lidded eyes. "Look, I get it. She's a bitch. And she doesn't have the right to treat you the way she did. Nobody does. But that doesn't mean you should lose sight of who you are just so you can beat someone as sad as her. I've been there before and it's not worth it. It never is."

"Did this involve Kamoshida?" Yusuke asked, looking at Ann with a thoughtful gaze.

She nodded. "Yeah, it did. After we beat his Shadow, it was crying about how it lost, and it pissed me off. All I could think about was what that piece of shit did to Ryuji, to me, to Shiho..." Her eyes flickered in my direction. "To every student he ever came across. Beating him wasn't enough. I wanted him to suffer. And for a moment, I wanted to kill him. Nobody would care if Kamoshida died, nobody would miss him at all."

She exhaled, deep and heavy. "In the end, I didn't do it. Killing him would be a mercy he didn't deserve. Kamoshida had to be brought to justice, and even if I knew that nothing I could do would ever bring me down to his level, I didn't want to be tainted by his death. He wasn't worth it, and it wouldn't help his victims move on from what he did."

Yusuke smiled. "That is quite commendable."

Ann returned it. "Thanks."

The rage and passion and anguish Ann unleashed on Kamoshida's Shadow and every creature in his Palace was terrifying and inspiring, a fiery maelstrom that burnt everything it touched to cinders. She hadn't reached those frightening heights since then, and there were times when I wondered why.

Now, I understood.

She placed a hand on my forearm and squeezed. "Let's hear her out. I know it's not easy to let this go, but it's worth a try. Trust me."

I figured Ann would understand, since she'd also been trapped in a black pit of anger and despair, one that ensnared its victims and prevented them from realizing how far they could sink. Yet, here she was, telling me to try and take the high road, like she had. It was a bit of a disappointment, but I couldn't blame her for making that choice.

Following her – and the others' – advice meant hoping that we didn't have to do something impossible, but it meant giving up control of my future for as long as it took to get that girl away from us. Trust was a hard thing to give, especially when it wasn't earned, but if the others were willing to take the risk... I could put my trust in them to see this through.

Even if I couldn't trust anyone else.

"I'll think about it," I said.

Ann smiled. "Good." She patted my arm once before letting go. "If you still have problems with her... well, we'll see what happens then."

Morgana's ears perked up, his tail shooting to the sky. "Nicely said. It probably won't stick, but a man can dream, right?"

I ran a hand from the crown of Morgana's head to the base of his tail, enough to make him feel it without causing him discomfort. Just as my hand returned to Morgana's ears, he folded them.

"Stop that!"

Reluctantly, I did. Fortunately, nothing I did caused a scene. "You wanted to know the 'real reason' why Makoto's investigating us, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then do me a favour and follow her at school tomorrow."

"Returning the favour, I see," Yusuke said, eyebrow raised.

Ryuji smiled. "Pretty bold."

"If I do this, you won't try to change her heart?" Morgana asked.

"If," I replied.

"No ifs, ands, or buts about it. No funny business, either. You keep your end of the bargain, and I'll hold up my end. Deal?"

"Deal." I held out my hand and he slapped it. "Give her a taste of her own medicine."

Morgana's sudden cackle filled me with momentary dread. "She won't even know I was there."

If his intel wasn't sufficient, I was going ahead with my plan. The irony of this deceit wasn't lost on me, but I didn't care.

One way or another, this had to stop. At this point, there was too much at stake to be deterred by anything.

* * *

I dreamed of blue velvet, in between fitful bouts of sleep. Submerged in an opaque cocktail of conflicting emotions and motivations, I was an inmate of an intangible prison, compelled to approach the gate and sit at the heels of my benefactors.

"It appears that you have reached an impasse," Igor said. His deep voice boomed across his Velvet Room. "One that might alter both your fate and the fates of your confidants irrevocably."

"You should be ashamed, Inmate," Caroline said, grinning like a shark. She looked down at me with naked glee. "Even with the all the power of the Wild Card at your fingertips, you barely noticed a thing."

Justine's little smile was just as humiliating as her sister's. "Indeed. I assumed you were capable of behaving yourself without garnering unwanted attention. Clearly, it was wrong for me to think so highly of you."

Try as I might, I wasn't able to defend myself. My mouth was bound and I could not scream. All I could do was listen, hear Caroline smash her baton against the cell's bars.

"Focus!" she said, sneering in contempt.

"As your wardens, it would be remiss of us to let you go without granting you a reprieve," Justine said.

"Hear that? It isn't every day that you get a chance to redeem yourself, so you shouldn't take this for granted." Caroline glanced at her sister. "What do you have in mind, Justine?"

"A visual aid." Justine smirked. "Something even his simple mind can comprehend."

"I've got just the thing." Caroline thrust her hand outward. A single card materialized, in the upright position. "This card represents the High Priestess."

"When the Fool meets the High Priestess, he becomes attuned to his intuition and subconscious desires, granting him access to a wealth of knowledge," Justine said. The card spun until its image was reversed. Its bright blue sheen became blindingly red. "However, when the Fool focuses on the demands of the material world above all else, he is unable to acknowledge these subconscious instincts and falls into an inescapable trap."

"Sound familiar?" Caroline asked. The tarot card disappeared. "Your friends can tell you how wrong you are 'till they're blue in the face, but none of that matters unless you can accept the truth."

"Consider everything that has happened since you chose to protect your comrades, Inmate," Justine said. "And do not forget the lessons the High Priestess can teach you."

Igor chuckled. "Take your time. You have more of it than you realize."

I woke up. The fog of lies clouding my vision had disappeared, revealing a road that forked at my feet, winding and arching far beyond the horizon. One path led to salvation. The other led to ruin.

Neither of my guides could cure the distortion corrupting my soul, nor could their master. That was something only I could do, and quite frankly, I needed all the help I could get.

* * *

Class had ended and everyone had gone their separate ways. Rather than leave, I loitered around the courtyard, drinking from a can of Second Maid. If Morgana was here, he'd make a comment about it, or talk about something else entirely.

Except, he wasn't here. He was stalking Makoto, and he'd been on the hunt since lunch.

Maybe he was taking so long because he'd been caught and put in a cage, like the first time we met. Then again, it would take time to scrounge up any info he could on such notice, and there was no reason to capture a cat, so there was nothing to worry about. We'd meet up after school and head off to the hideout together, like we always did.

I spent a lot of time thinking about our deal while he was away, and what I'd do if I didn't get what I wanted. I thought about how my friends would react if I betrayed our oath. I thought about a lot of things. It was getting harder and harder to hold onto that single-minded desire to win, and it didn't sit well with me.

I liked it better when we had an enemy to beat, a treasure to grab, or a heart to change. Something clear, something straightforward. When my target was unambiguously bad, I could be the cool, unflappable leader my friends deserved and bring that evildoer to justice. It didn't matter that the only thing I brought to the table was reckless, dauntless bravery and a special power, because my friends believed in me.

This thing with Makoto wasn't clear or straightforward, it was a mess. I just couldn't accept that she wasn't as bad as Kamoshida or Madarame. If I let this go now and succumbed to her demands, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't ask us to do another favour for her.

Trust was all I had, at this point.

When Morgana came back unharmed, head held high and preening, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"How'd it go?" I asked.

Morgana chuckled. "Pretty well, I'd say. Did you miss me?"

I took a knee and laid a hand on top of his head. This time, Morgana let me scratch his ears. "I did."

Together, we went to the hideout. On the way there, I managed to finish off my soda, and I spent most of the trip regaling Morgana on the stuff he missed in class. It wasn't that much, but it was a distraction I sorely needed.

When we joined our friends, Morgana climbed out of my bag, setting his paws on my shoulder. Everyone was leaning on the railing, which granted Morgana the perfect opportunity to give a speech.

"Here's what I got. The reason why Makoto's been giving us a hard time is because the principal put her up to it. If she catches the Phantom Thieves, he'll write a recommendation for any university she wants."

"What could his motive be?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm not sure, but I bet he wants us out because Kamoshida got busted. Now that he can't pretend that his school is perfect, he wants to get rid of the people who exposed Kamoshida's crimes."

"And he's using Makoto so his rep doesn't take another hit if she fails," Ryuji said.

"That's right. He's putting her under a lot of pressure, and it's only a matter of time before she cracks."

Ann frowned. "So that's it?"

"It does seem fairly simple," Yusuke said. "Almost deceptively so."

"I guess," Morgana said, "but considering all the effort she's put into catching us, I don't think she's doing this just for a recommendation."

Ryuji stared at me, smiling slightly. "What do you think about all this?"

I took a deep breath and focused. Immediately after, my eyes shot wide open. "We have a guest."

It was none other than Makoto herself, walking towards us without a care in the world. Morgana quickly scrambled into my bag. I didn't blame him.

"Good afternoon," Makoto said. She smiled at each of us. "I had a feeling you'd be here."

Of course she would. It felt like I'd been caught with my pants down. I made sure that we weren't followed. I scanned the area with my Third Eye before I joined the others.

I'd been so careful, but apparently, I hadn't been careful enough.

"You must be the infamous Makoto," Yusuke said.

"And you must be Yusuke Kitagawa. It's nice to finally meet you."

Yusuke smiled. "Likewise."

If Yusuke was trying to lighten the mood, he wasn't doing that badly. I could breathe easy, knowing that I wasn't alone with her, so I took a step to the side to give our guest some space.

However, not everyone had calmed down. Ann was scowling, trying to burn Makoto alive with her glare. "What are you doing here?"

Makoto's smile didn't falter, but the way she clutched the strap of her bag spoke volumes. "It should be obvious why I'm here, but if it isn't, I'll give you some to figure it out."

"Excuse me?"

Ryuji stepped in between Makoto and Ann, keeping them from crossing the threshold. "Hold up. We're not here to argue, right?"

"I'm not," Ann said.

"I never would have guessed," Makoto said.

"See?" Ryuji smiled. "No need to fight."

Ann clicked her tongue, but rather than fall for Makoto's bait, she crossed her arms and turned away. As for our guest, Makoto sighed and looked at me for a bit. Once Ryuji returned to his spot, she cleared her throat.

"It's clear that you believe what you're doing is just," she said. "That's why I came here, to give you all a chance to prove yourselves."

Yusuke crossed his arms. "What do you want us to do?"

She turned to face him. "I want you to steal someone's heart. Don't worry, this person is a criminal. In return, I'll erase all the evidence I have. I haven't told anyone about anything that happened between us, so if everything goes well, it'll stay that way."

Ryuji shrugged. "Sounds simple enough."

A softer smile crossed her face. "Then we're in agreement?"

I kept quiet. Better to do that than run my mouth and risk making another mistake.

Yusuke unfolded his arms. He wasn't smiling, now. "That depends. Who is your intended target?"

"I can't tell you yet," she said. "The reason is that details for this criminal are pretty hard to come by. I want us to meet up tomorrow, after school. We can discuss the specifics and go over any plans you might have."

Her searching red eyes lingered on me once again, but she wouldn't get anything from me.

"If there's nothing else, then I'll see you tomorrow."

Ann pushed off the railing. "Hold on." Her arms were uncrossed, hands loose at her sides. "How did you find us?"

Makoto's smile turned acidic, face pinched and jaw clenched. "It's pretty strange that a group of students involved with both Kamoshida and Madarame spend a lot of time in one specific place. It wouldn't be all that hard for someone to track you down while remaining unnoticed."

If anything, that meant Makoto might have found us before I got paranoid, but it was a small victory at best. At least I was off a hook.

"I knew it," Ann said, clenching her fists. "Have fun sucking up to all the adults in your life, but take it from me: it won't get you anywhere."

The smile on Makoto's face evaporated. "What is your problem? I've done _nothing_ to you, yet you treat me like your worst enemy!"

"You really are delusional, aren't you?"

I recognized the glare on Makoto's face. Ann had definitely swung for the fences. "Delusional?"

"That's right." Ann took a step towards her. "You've spent all this time chasing the Phantom Thieves, but where were you when students were being assaulted or molested? You can't tell me this game of yours is more important."

Makoto smirked. "Oh, I get it. You're so busy feeling guilty about your friend that you blame me for something I had no control over!"

Ann jabbed a finger in Makoto's face. "Don't lie to me! You knew something was going on. Either you didn't care about what Kamoshida was doing, or you let those teachers convince you that he wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Hey, Ann," Ryuji said, "maybe you should –"

"Shut up!" Makoto shouted, making Ryuji wince.

"Don't tell him to shut up!" Ann said. "He's actually trying to help people, something you clearly don't know anything about."

Makoto scoffed. I wasn't surprised that she was able to regain some composure. Then again, her lip was quivering like she was on the verge of exploding. "And you do? I highly doubt that."

"That's where you're wrong."

"Is that so? Then go ahead, tell me how I'm wrong."

"Ann," I said, staring at her. I shook my head, and in that moment, understanding flickered across her sky blue eyes. She took a deep, shuddering breath, before retracting her finger.

"Of course," Makoto muttered, shaking her head.

"You know what gets me?" Ann said. "You have influence and authority that could really make a difference, but you waste it by letting the principal order you around like you're his dog, just so you can get some stupid recommendation. I feel sorry for you."

Makoto clenched her free hand in a tight fist. "It's not –"

She trailed off, scattering those words to the four winds. A long moment passed. Her chest heaved, in and out. I could have jumped in right there and finished what Ann started. Then Makoto let go, and the opportunity went with it.

"You're right. That's why I'm here. Principal Kobayakawa isn't willing to look into this problem, so it falls to me to take care of it. If you help me, it'll prove that the Phantom Thieves are just. What part of this is so hard to understand?"

Ann blinked. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Makoto scowled. "You never gave me the chance! I know I haven't been very fair to any of you, but how else am I supposed to react when you shut me down every time I see you? You have every right to be angry with the school or Kamoshida, but that doesn't give you the right to take it out on me!"

"Maybe so." Ann took another step forward, bringing them face-to-face. "If you want me to take you seriously, then prove that you're actually willing to help us. Otherwise, nothing's going to change."

"That's why I'm here," she repeated. She stared at each of us once more. "Rooftop, tomorrow. Don't be late."

Just like that, she was out of our hair. Once she was out of earshot, I opened up my bag. It turned out that in his mad dash to hide from prying eyes, Morgana lost his footing and needed help getting out. I granted him his desire in no time flat.

"Lady Ann, are you okay?" Morgana asked.

She nodded, smiling like she hadn't almost started a fight. "Yep. I got what I wanted."

Yusuke shook his head. "Let us be glad that this didn't end in disaster."

That was one word for it.

"And here I thought you went insane," Ryuji said.

Ann raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about insane. I just didn't want her to leave without saying something. And... I'd regret it if I didn't get this off my chest."

Ryuji smirked. "Don't worry, I get it. Nobody's perfect, after all."

It was kind of strange that Ann wasn't getting the third degree. Then again, I was held to more exacting standards, and we were lucky that Makoto was so willing to play ball. Ann knew what she was getting into, and since she hadn't caused any setbacks, there was no need to complain.

"You're right," Ann said. She clung onto the inside of her elbow with her free hand and let out a deep breath.

"Are you sure you're fine?" I asked.

"I don't know." She frowned. "Why does she have to be so difficult?"

I smiled. "She's really good at pushing people's buttons, isn't she?"

Ann chuckled. "She sure is. Still, I was going on and on about being the better person, but when the chips were down, I couldn't keep my word."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Morgana said. "These things happen, even to the best of us. You were defending Shiho's honour, and that's something you shouldn't regret doing. Not only that, you were able to restrain yourself before you went too far. That's the mark of someone with true strength."

"Exactly," I said. "It's like you said, none of this is easy, but you're trying to improve anyway. That's something worth admiring."

Ann smiled, warm and bright. "Thanks, guys. That really means a lot to me."

Morgana let out a confident cackle. "It's my pleasure." As for me, I just smiled.

"Don't let it get to your head," Ryuji said. When Ann faced him, he flinched. "What?"

"I wanted to thank you for trying to keep the peace," she said. "You were almost cool."

Ryuji shrugged, but he was practically beaming. "Don't mention it. You did the same for me. Besides, it ain't like I'm Makoto's biggest fan or anything, but someone's gotta keep their eye on the prize."

"Well put," Yusuke said. "Speaking of which..." He stared at me. "What's your take on what transpired?"

I hated to admit it, but Makoto hadn't given me any reason to doubt her. She wanted to help us, and she was willing to put up with abuse to do it. She was willing to let bygones be bygones if we did what she said.

"We have a better idea about how Makoto operates, thanks to Morgana and Ann," I said, adjusting my glasses. "And it seems like she's being genuine. The least we can do is hear her out."

Yusuke smiled. "On that, we can agree."

"So it's settled, then?" Ryuji said. "No stealing Makoto's heart?"

"It seems so."

"We'll see," Morgana said.

Ann remained silent, just like she did when I made that oath.

Once again, it all came down to trust, and I knew better than anyone how easy it was to be diplomatic in a negotiation. However, as much as Makoto was trying to bridge that gap and extend an olive branch, I couldn't reach out and take it. I still couldn't guarantee that we weren't walking into a trap, and even though this all seemed legit, and even though her anger was real...

I just wasn't satisfied.


	3. Chapter 3

Sae's brow furrows. Her arms are tightly crossed against her chest.

"It's one thing to take a favourable deal with a grain of salt, but it's another thing to consider ignoring it. It could be because of Makoto, but I doubt that."

Her confusion is expected, but the trickster remains confident. The game isn't over yet.

"Most people would take a solution if it solved their problem, but not you. Why is that?"

Their eyes meet. There is no anger visible in her stare. "Why aren't you satisfied?"

Everything is finally falling into place.

"Let me explain."

* * *

Since everyone knew what they had to do, I decided to call it a day. There wasn't anything else keeping me at the hideout: no pressing concerns, no lingering worries from the others. It was best if we rested up for tomorrow's meeting.

Once my friends left, I set off towards Shibuya, hands in my pockets. Now that I was on my own, I was free to use my time however I wanted. I had a lot of options, and no matter what I did, I'd gain something from the experience and have fun, too.

Problem was, I didn't feel like doing anything.

I didn't feel like hanging out with my friends with the meeting hanging over our heads. I didn't feel like spending time with a confidant; with the way I was now, I wouldn't be able to give them the help they needed. I didn't feel like improving myself, either. What was the point in doing so when Makoto would benefit from it?

I couldn't make the most of my time, and I didn't want to go back to Leblanc, so I kept on walking, caught in the hustle and bustle of Shibuya after school.

How many people weren't able to choose because of some fear or insecurity? How many of them were left with guilt because they couldn't commit? I took heart in knowing that whatever decision I made was one that I chose, consequences be damned.

That meant no regrets, no what-ifs. Even if I made the wrong choice, I'd take responsibility for it and learn from my mistakes, because I'd rather be free to choose than be paralyzed by indecision.

Yet here I stood, grappling with the thing I feared most.

It wasn't a coincidence that I found myself standing in front of the Velvet Room. I pressed my hand against the bright blue door, trying to find some comfort in its inviting glow. I was still at that crossroad, but even if the fog was gone, I didn't know which path would lead me to salvation.

There was one thing I could do... but it would force me to betray my oath. If I didn't do anything, I'd betray everything I stood for. There had to be another way.

Makoto got this far by snooping around and using our own words against us. It gave her an advantage over us, but it wasn't unassailable. If I could find a way to level the playing field, then I could go into that meeting without a worry in the world. I'd be the one in control.

There was just one problem. I knew how to get the information I wanted, but I sure as hell couldn't do it if Morgana was with me.

I walked deeper into the alley and took a good look around, made sure nobody was watching. Then I let the cat out of the bag.

"What's up?" Morgana asked, finding a perch on my shoulder.

"I need some time alone," I said. "Why don't you go for a walk?"

"You planning to go somewhere?"

I rolled my head a bit. Untouchable was nearby. "I want to visit Iwai. Get some work done."

"That's all?"

I took a moment to consider my next words. Lying wasn't my style, especially to a good friend. "What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think you're hiding something."

"Why's that?"

"You said you'd hear Makoto out, but when Ryuji asked you about changing Makoto's heart, you gave him a pretty vague answer. Not only that, you've been on edge ever since Makoto left."

I closed my eyes, willing myself to remain calm. "So what? I'm worried about the meeting."

"Yeah, and if it was just that, then why do you want to get rid of me?"

I took in a deep breath... and let it out. It was time to choose. I didn't know what Morgana would do if I told him about this idea of mine, but I had to do something, and if I had to hurt someone's feelings, then so be it.

"I need answers."

"What answers?" he asked, frustration creeping into his voice. "I got you answers, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did, and I appreciate that. But it isn't enough."

Morgana dug his paws into my shoulder. "Why?"

"There's no way that Makoto would go this far just for a university recommendation. It can't be as simple as that." I set my hand against the wall, leaning on it. "And... even though it seems like she wants to give us a chance, it also feels like nothing's changed, and this is just another ploy to get us under her thumb."

He scoffed. "What are you going to do if it is? Are you gonna go to Mementos and change her heart anyway, just so you can be safe? Is that what you wanna do?"

"No, that's not –"

"Stop. Please. Don't say something you can't take back."

I slumped against the wall and fell. Morgana leaped off my shoulder and when I hit the floor, he was facing me, blue eyes filled with concern.

"Can you tell me why you still want to change Makoto's heart? I know how stressful this has been for you, but I want to understand why."

I sighed. I never imagined it'd get to this point, but I couldn't be caged again. I just couldn't.

"I don't want to change her heart," I said, tired beyond belief. "I just want to meet her Shadow. I need to know why she'd go to these lengths to stop us."

"Why? Do you want to get leverage on her?"

"Yeah, but that's not the only reason. It's hard to explain."

"Then take your time. We have all day."

" _Take your time."_ I smiled at the memory. I really did have more time than I realized, and with that time came a world of possibilities.

"Call it a hunch, but it feels like I've been missing something since this whole thing began, something important."

"And you think you can find this thing in Mementos?"

I nodded. "It's the only thing I haven't tried."

"So why don't you want me to come along?" Morgana averted his gaze, head drooping. "We've been through everything together."

"I have to know if I was on the right track. I can't do that if you're there because you might become a target. I can't let anything interfere. That's why I have to do this alone."

Morgana gazed at me with his inhumanly blue eyes. He held his stare for so long that every part of me was begging to turn away. But there was a small part – tiny enough that I wouldn't normally notice it – that told me there was nothing to worry about, that Morgana was on my side.

"Five minutes," Morgana said. "That's all you get." He held out his paw. "You'd better not make me regret this."

I seized it, and the paralyzing fear disappeared. I smiled at him. "You won't."

* * *

Feeling the familiar weight of my black coat and white mask was a small comfort. The people's unconscious screams reverberated across Mementos, the walls and rails pulsating bloody red and stretching into a bottomless abyss. It was hard to ignore when my team was with me, but now, I was all alone. If I wasn't careful, I'd be overwhelmed, lost in the oppressive atmosphere.

There was one reprieve: thanks to Morgana, I knew where the target was. It was time to get to work.

I ran down escalators and through winding tunnels, darting past Shadows and treasure. I kept on running because my path was clear, now more than ever, and nothing could keep me from reaching the truth.

Before I knew it, I stood in front of the portal to Makoto's domain, a swirling vortex of black and red. While I didn't plan on fighting Makoto's Shadow, forewarned was forearmed.

When I stepped through the looking glass, I saw her standing in the middle of the square room, wreathed in a malevolent aura of black shadows.

"I do everything they ask, bust my ass to succeed, and _I'm_ the useless one?"

She had the same brown hair, same pale skin, same school uniform.

"How dare they? Who do they think they are, treating me like some pushover?"

We made eye contact. There was just one difference between Makoto and her Shadow. Her eyes weren't red. They were gold.

" _You_." The malice in her voice was palpable. "What do you want?"

"I came for answers."

"Answers?" She snorted, breaking into a fit of howling laughter. Her mouth twisted into a vile sneer. "That's rich, coming from you. But you're not getting anything from me. If I apologized, you'd take my kindness and stomp on it."

I placed my hands at my sides, ignoring the urge to shove them into my pockets. The Shadow was a lot more aggressive than Makoto usually was, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle if I played my cards right.

"I wasn't thinking straight," I said, "but I'm the type of guy who learns from my mistakes. Even someone as smart as you would noti –"

"Shut. Up." She took a step forward. "You're all the same: when I put up with your bullshit, you think you can get away with it and ask for more, but when I want something, then suddenly you have a problem."

"Can you blame me?"

She scoffed. "Of course I can. If you listened to me, I would have let you go, but now..."

She trailed off, but the implications were clear: she was going to make us work for our freedom. I was right not to trust her. It was an easy assumption to make when suffering from tunnel vision.

I stopped myself. That was the kind of thinking that got me to this point, and it didn't get me to where I wanted to be. I had to dig deeper, cut through the lies and bias to find the truth that lay beneath.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" she asked, smiling. It was as condescending as usual, baiting me to react. I took in a quick breath, dousing the embers before they could ignite. "Don't try and blame me for your misdeeds." Her brow furrowed, creasing the edges of her bulging golden eyes. "If you idiots knew who you were dealing with when you tried to get in my way, you wouldn't dream of stepping out of line!"

Shoulders hunched, chest heaving, she was more monster than human. Then her smile returned, she corrected her posture, and it was like she'd never been on the verge of exploding.

"What if I did know?"

"Then you'd know your place."

And there it was. This was what I was looking for. Now I just had to take the next step and regain control before time ran out.

"Where's that?" I asked. My face was smooth as porcelain, devoid of any emotion. She couldn't suspect a thing.

She smirked. "Where do you think? Out of sight, where you can't cause any trouble."

"I tried that. Then you came along. Why? What do you have to gain from following us?"

"Isn't it obvious? I can't have criminals running around in _my_ school without bringing them to heel."

"So stalking and blackmail is fine as long as you're targeting a criminal?"

There was no response, not at first. Seconds seemed to stretch into irreplaceable minutes before she finally opened her mouth.

"Whatever it takes," she said, in a quieter voice than I expected.

A frown slipped past my façade. Distorted or not, the Shadow reflected the true self, unrestrained and unfiltered. They had an honesty to them that made them eager to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. But something was off here. It was almost like she was doubting herself.

If she was, then I had to know why.

"What do you gain from trying to catch us? You'll be gone next year."

She scowled. "That is none of your business."

"Maybe, but it'd be a waste if you were doing it just to curry favour with the adults. There are other ways to get a university recommendation."

She flinched. "How did you – it doesn't matter. The fact that you think I'm doing this to get into university is embarrassing."

"Then why are you doing it? I wouldn't help someone who calls me useless."

A scowl split her face, but there was a calculating look in her eyes that bothered me. "You know what? I'm done talking."

She clutched the sides of her head as amorphous black slime devoured her body, writhing erratically. The mutation had begun, and it was only a matter of time before the Shadow's true form was unveiled. With a blood-curdling scream, she emerged from the muck.

Gone was the school uniform and in its place were white, flowing garments covering her from shoulder to foot. Atop her head sat a golden crown, bent and broken.

"When I'm through with you," she said, "you'll be begging for mercy."

The Shadow was in my guard before I could blink, slamming her fist into my gut. I coughed, doubling over from the sudden pain. It was enough to knock me down, and she kicked my face with her shin, making my head crash onto the floor with impunity.

I climbed onto one knee, and when I looked up at her, I saw mirth dancing in her golden eyes, the only part of her face that wasn't shrouded in darkness.

With her choice of attire, I assumed she was trying to dress like a pope, but the impression she gave was that of a queen. A ruler: one without a Palace, but a ruler all the same.

"That's more like it," she said. "Now bow to your queen!"

I stood up, ethereal energy gathering at the corners of my vision. Without my team, I had to be on top of my game if I wanted to get out of here alive. Losing focus was not an option. I'd prepared my collection of masks before coming here, and my paranoia proved worthwhile.

"Persona!" I ripped off my mask and unleashed the power of my soul. High Pixie answered the call, blasting the Shadow with searing fire. All for naught, as she rushed through the flames with singed robes. Now that I was ready to react, I was more than able to avoid her punch. She overstepped and I lunged, knife flashing into my hand to slice her exposed stomach.

The stab rung true, and I used my momentum to avoid her oncoming knee and run out of striking range. Fire and steel couldn't knock her down, but she had a weakness, and I was going to find it.

I called upon High Pixie once again, hitting the Shadow with ice, lightning, and wind in quick succession. Chaotic as she was versatile, High Pixie was my go-to Persona, yet nothing in her arsenal had been able to knock the Shadow down, and I had to bob and weave past rapid punches and whip-like kicks to get a clear shot.

I had to be careful not to burn through my stamina. I was used to plugging in the gaps, allowing me to maximise my teammates' strengths and adapt to any situation. Going solo complicated things dramatically.

Fortunately, this wasn't a Palace run or a fight to the death. All I had to do was knock the Shadow down. I couldn't afford to drag this fight out, because she hit hard, and her attacks were getting harder to avoid.

"Shiisaa!" I shouted. The guardian beast formed in front of me and roared, engulfing the Shadow in a thermonuclear explosion. However, good fortune did not smile upon me because the attack barely fazed her.

"My turn." That was my only warning before I was consumed by electric blue energy, culminating in an explosion that dwarfed mine. It hurt, and I was lucky that I was still on my feet, or else she'd get another hit in.

What was I even doing here? I wasn't naïve enough to think that I'd get out unscathed, but this was getting bad really fast. It was like I was back in the student council room, watching my chances of freedom slip from my fingers, except I had no one to blame but myself for my misfortune.

I drank some medicine and felt the relief, considering my next move. Her garments made it hard to read her movements, but I could predict the gist of her attack and react accordingly. That was one advantage that came from fighting alone: no formations to worry about, no teammates to watch out for.

I could do this.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're giving up already?"

She was taunting me, just like before, just like she always had. But I wouldn't fall into her trap.

"Never," I replied.

"Your funeral," she said, and unleashed another nuclear explosion. I was ready and rolled out of the way, grabbing my mask once more.

"Leanan Sidhe!" The Irish fae appeared, hovering languidly just behind me. Hypnotic orbs drenched in psychedelic cyan and magenta surrounded the Shadow. With a snap of Leanan Sidhe's fingers, the Shadow was bombarded with psychokinetic energy. She screamed in anguish and pain, but I ignored it all the same.

Finally, she was down.

After ensuring I was just outside of striking range, I drew my gun and pointed it at her.

"What are you going to do, ask some more questions?" the Shadow asked. "Don't waste your breath."

"You don't have a choice," I said. "You will co-operate."

She laughed. "You're a real comedian, aren't you? You think that if you run around in a stupid costume and lead a bunch of fools, you have the right to do whatever you want? Sorry, but life doesn't work that way. There are rules, and if you break those rules, you pay the price."

I paid that price on behalf of the real criminal, but she didn't need to know that. Trying to get a Shadow's validation was an idiot's game.

"And where did your rules get you?" I smirked. "I can't imagine you have many friends with how much of a hardass you are."

"I'd worry about your friends before worrying about mine. Once you bend the knee, they'll be next. Then again, I'm not sure you care about your friends at all. For all your talk about how much friendship matters, you've never really thought about your friends might be affected, have you?"

"This has nothing to do with them," I said, keeping my pistol steady, trying my hardest not to catch her bait. "This is between you and me."

"Of course it is. Otherwise, your friends would be here." Her eyes gleamed. "Honestly, I feel sorry for them. Their leader is a reckless criminal who cares more about saving his own hide than compromising his pride, and they can't stop you."

My fist tightened against the gun's handle. "Is that right?"

"When push comes to shove, you'd be willing to do whatever it takes to win, to crush your enemies under your heel."

"Like you?"

There was a brief, but distinct pause.

"Yes, like me."

When she put it that way... I couldn't disagree. She let the pressure of the real world corrupt her and skew her priorities. I knew all too well what that was like. Of course, there was no way we'd reveal ourselves, so maybe we did force her hand and make her believe that winning was the only option, consequences be damned.

It still didn't change the fact that she'd be a threat if something didn't give, no matter what we did. Then again, there was one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb, something that bothered me.

"Why are you giving us a chance to prove ourselves?"

"That's the million-yen question, isn't it?"

In spite of her bravado, she was still helpless. Her once immaculate robes were torn and burnt, and her body twitched from involuntary spasms. She was ripe for a takedown. Now that I knew her weakness, all I had to do was go all-out and she'd be done. One less problem for the Phantom Thieves.

They'd understand why I did it. Making sure she wouldn't bother us after taking care of her target was a guarantee too appealing to pass up. We'd have an ally on the inside, too, and best of all, I wouldn't be compelled to abuse my powers again. I knew who I was, I knew how to control myself.

What did I have to lose?

"So you're not going to answer, huh?"

"You're finally catching on."

I looked Makoto in the eye and decided to finish what I started.

"Then we're done here."

I couldn't do it.

For one thing, I'd disappoint my teammates. I'd lose Morgana's trust, after he supported me through everything. I'd lose Ann's respect because I fell to temptation that she overcame. I'd prove Ryuji's worst fears right and break the first real friendship I had. I'd show Yusuke that I wasn't a leader worth following.

And most of all, by fulfilling my selfish desires, I'd tarnish the Phantom Thieves' manifesto. I wanted freedom, and I wanted control, but this wasn't the way to do it. I'd been so busy trying to save myself that I forgot to take a step back and look at the big picture.

Makoto wasn't the enemy. Changing her heart wouldn't stop the adults from trying to take us down, Kobayakawa would just find another pawn to do his dirty work. She was just as much of a victim as we were, and while it didn't excuse her behaviour, fighting her was getting me nowhere.

I holstered my pistol. It was time to go.

"No," Makoto's Shadow said, before I could turn my back on her. "You don't get to leave. Not this time."

I stared into her eyes, and for an instant, I saw red. A wave of pure hatred engulfed me. I was drowning, heart pounding in my ears and throat; couldn't breathe. When I opened my eyes, I was fine, completely unharmed. The Shadow's eyes were still gold, not red.

The Shadow lunged, aiming for my face. I tilted my head to the side, revealed my knife, and the next thing I knew, I was seeing stars, back aching from hitting the floor so suddenly. I jumped to my feet and called upon Leanan Sidhe, but the Shadow dodged every single psychokinetic orb like they were frozen in time.

She shot a smaller nuclear blast, one that was child's play to avoid. I prepared to unleash another psychokinetic salvo, but the Shadow slammed her shoulder into my stomach just as I tore off my mask, and I flew. I got a hand under me just before I could crash and flipped backwards.

"Eligor!" Lance held high, the armoured knight charged, black horse galloping towards the Shadow at a frantic pace. The first strike grazed her shoulder, but she slipped past the second thrust with contemptuous ease.

I landed on my feet and immediately felt the scorching heat bursting from the Shadow's nuke. She was rushing towards me and in desperation, I pulled out my gun and fired as fast as possible, but my shots went wide and I saw her knock my hand go skyward, the last bullet bouncing off her crown and knocking it off.

She punched me in the face, then the sternum, leaving me gasping for air. It didn't end there. Her arms were a maelstrom, blending together from sheer speed as she pummeled me. It felt like an eternity before the onslaught ended, and when it did, I collapsed.

"How..." I asked, mystified. She wasn't just able to dodge my attacks, she was predicting my movements before they happened, from her counter throw to dodging the bullets with minute movements. It was more than enough to rip me apart.

"I studied you during our fight, watching your every move." Her hands crackled with blue energy. "Now I know everything about you."

I switched to Makami, hoping beyond hope that it could soften the blow and give me another chance. I was powerless to stop her, but it couldn't end here.

I refused to fall.

"Zorro! Show your might!"

Her eyes widened as a disembodied fist slugged her in the jaw, knocking her off her feet. A gust of wind blew her away.

Morgana had arrived, and immediately transformed into a minivan. A pair of strong hands pulled me inside.

Then we escaped.

* * *

When I came to, the first thing I did was sit up against the closest wall and search for injuries. I found nothing, not a bloodied nose, cracked ribs, bruises or lumps.

"How are you doing?" Morgana asked. He was standing on two feet, large blue eyes boring into mine. We must have been at Mementos' entrance, away from any Shadows that could do us harm.

"Better," I said. "Thanks for bailing me out. And thanks for healing me, too."

"You're welcome, but I wasn't alone."

I looked up and saw Ryuji standing behind Morgana. Ann and Yusuke were with him, too, and all of them were clad in their costumes.

"When did you all get here?" I asked.

Ryuji smirked. "Who do you think pulled you into the van?"

"Good to know." I clutched the bridge of my nose. "What am I saying? I'm glad you guys are here."

"Thank Morgana. We'd be clueless if he didn't come looking for us."

"How?" Since we had privacy, there wasn't any need to enforce the use of our code names.

"Morgana found me at the mall," Ann said, hands clasped in front of her. "He told me to call Ryuji and Yusuke, said it was urgent."

"Ann called me while I was searching for artistic inspiration at the subway station," Yusuke said.

"And I was at the arcade," Ryuji said. "Good thing we were still in the area, huh?"

I nodded, stiffly. "Did Morgana..."

"He filled us in on the way," Ann said, though her expression gave nothing away.

"It was quite fortuitous," Yusuke said.

Ryuji shrugged. "I dunno about that."

There was an edge to Ryuji's words that set me off, but after dealing with an irascible Shadow, I wasn't willing to jump into another fight.

I took another look at Morgana. He must have figured that something would go wrong and decided to get help in spite of our agreement, but I wasn't mad. I was grateful. "It's almost scary how good you are."

Morgana grinned. "And don't you forget it!"

"That monster was Makoto's Shadow, wasn't it?" Morgana asked. His grin had disappeared, and since he wasn't a cat right now, I could see the concern etched on his face.

"It was."

"Then why were you fighting her? I thought you only wanted answers."

"I tried talking to her, but she was stubborn and impossible to work with." I cracked a smile. "Sounds like someone I know."

A smile slipped onto Morgana's face. "I'd say." But it was gone in an instant. "Was that why were you fighting her?"

"She decided to fight me. I didn't run away 'cause I thought I could force the answers out of her. It didn't go as planned."

Morgana scowled. "So you risked your life for nothing?"

I shook my head, and told my friends what went down between me and Makoto's Shadow. Recounting the fight helped me process how close I was to pulling the trigger, how close I was to losing everything... and the triumph that I felt from embracing the truth.

"Finding out that we weren't so different was the real kicker. I knew Makoto wasn't our enemy, I could feel it in my gut, but I was too focused on beating her to realize that. I couldn't stand that she made me feel powerless every single time we spoke, and I got desperate."

"That's why you were worried about the meeting?"

"Yeah. I was worried that if I didn't do something, we'd lose what little freedom we had left. I knew it wasn't right, but I was afraid, and I couldn't let things be. I wanted to protect you guys, but at some point it became an excuse. It made me do things I wasn't proud of doing and I dragged you all down with me."

I stole a glance at the Velvet Room's glowing door and caught Justine's eye. She gave me a nod, but didn't say anything.

"And he finally admits it," Ryuji said.

I really didn't want to fight, but I was at the end of my rope.

"You got something to say, Ryuji?"

Ryuji's frown creased his face. "You told me no changing hearts, but then you go and pick a fight with Makoto's Shadow! And for what, so you can get answers Morgana already gave you?"

I clenched a fist. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Ryuji gritted his teeth. "I did, but what does it matter? You'll just keep on making excuses because you'll never learn."

"That's where you're wrong."

"You sure about that? 'Cause you said something real similar before."

"That was then, and this is now."

Ryuji clicked his tongue. "I knew it."

I shot to my feet. Ryuji stomped up to my face, brushing past Morgana and glaring at me through his Skull mask. Enough was enough.

"Stop it!" Ann shouted, jumping in between us. "Let's take the time to cool off. Neither of you need to fight."

"He's learned his lesson, Ryuji," Morgana said.

Ryuji turned away, shaking his head. When we made eye contact, his glare had waned. "You're our leader, man. If I screw up or something goes wrong and we can't rely on you, we're fucked."

Those words snapped me out of the haze of rage. He was right. Something about what he said still bothered me, and if he was this serious, there had to be more to his fear than just my capability as leader.

"I know, but if you're talking about that call with Makoto, you didn't screw up. You couldn't have known she was on the other side."

"I could have." He looked at Morgana, Ann and Yusuke – who seemed content to let this all play out – before turning back to me. "You saved my ass back there, and it really made me think about what the hell I was trying to do with these powers. I was treating this like some game, running my mouth about the Phantom Thieves whenever I got the chance, and seeing you struggle with the pressure? It freaked me out.

"If someone like you could fail, what does that say about a dumbass like me? I know you've been going through a rough time, but I've always counted on you to have your shit together. I never thought I'd have to keep you from going off the deep end."

"I'd be lying if I said I never felt that way," Yusuke said, clutching his chin. "There is a visceral appeal in relying on the strong, but it isn't reasonable to assume they'll always be strong, or that they don't buckle under the weight of their burdens."

Ryuji frowned. "Yeah. I guess this whole thing was a wake-up-call."

"It was," I said. "But it needed to happen."

My hot head brought me closer to ruin than all the vile invective my naysayers could muster. I had to change, and I wanted to change and improve. When it came to gaining true freedom, it was the only choice worth making.

"I know I screwed up, and I'm done making excuses for myself," I said. "I don't expect you to trust me right now, but I'll show you I've learned from my mistakes."

"If you ask me, you're already learning," Ann said. She stepped back to give us some much needed breathing room. "Still, you shouldn't feel like you have to go behind our backs. I don't blame you for wanting to settle the score with Makoto, but you've always been honest with us. Why stop now?"

"You don't blame me?" I asked.

She nodded. "I'd want answers too if I was in your place. And I knew this was really bothering you, so I didn't want to pry. I just hoped you'd do the right thing... and you did."

"Thank you," I said. "Thank you all for the support you've given me. I wouldn't have gotten to this point without you."

Morgana smiled. "We're happy to oblige."

"As long as there aren't any repeat occurrences, of course," Yusuke said. He stared at me for a few seconds, before nodding to himself. "Thought I trust that won't be the case."

"He'd have to get through me before trying anything," Morgana said, setting a hand on his sabre's hilt.

I chuckled. "You heard him." Then I turned to Ryuji and looked him in the eye. "We'll get better together. No one gets left behind."

A smile crept back onto his face. "In that case, no more deception. You can't have trust if you lie, whether you're lying to your team or you're lying to yourself. Sound good?"

I smiled. "No more deception, and that's a promise."

Ryuji's smile grew into something real. "I'm holding you to that."

I gazed at each of my friends and felt my confidence start to return. "At any rate, we have a meeting tomorrow. We need to be on top of our game, so let's get some rest, yeah?"

"We'll walk you home and make sure you get some sleep," Ann said. She winked. "Right, guys?"

"Oh, yeah," Morgana said.

"Having some of the Boss's coffee does sound quite nice," Yusuke said.

After everything that happened, I was sure my dreams would be sweet.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ryuji asked.

With that settled, we left Mementos. Morgana hopped onto my shoulder, and we set off towards Leblanc. On the way there, Morgana nudged my ear with his paw.

"You sure you'll be fine for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yeah. I don't know what'll happen, but I trust you guys. I'm positive we'll get through this."

Morgana chuckled. "Sounds like you found what you were looking for."

I smiled. "Yeah, I did. Thanks for giving me the chance."

"Hey, you needed it. I'll always have your back." He paused. "And thanks, for confiding in me."

Trust wasn't easy to give, but trusting the right people paid off and gave me something I sorely needed...

Hope.


	4. Chapter 4

Class was about to end in ten minutes, but all I could think about was what would happen after Makoto gave us our orders. With our meeting looming like an oncoming execution, I couldn't focus on anything, which really sucked. I enjoyed Japanese class and always liked to take notes, since even the most random of trivia could appear on a test.

Since trying to learn was pointless, finalizing our strategy would be a better use of my time. I relayed my plan through the Phantom Thieves' group chat. Yusuke was already on his way to Shujin, while Ryuji was raring to go. Getting Ann out with me would be the tricky part. Ms. Kawakami had become pretty lenient lately, but I wasn't sure that her courtesy extended to Ann.

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Ms. Kawakami, may I be excused?" I asked. "I have a really bad headache."

My teacher – and secret confidant – frowned. "Can you hold out until the end of class?"

I shook my head, groaning. "I can't focus at all."

"If it's that bad, then you should visit the nurse," Ms. Kawakami said.

Ann raised her hand. "I can take him there!"

Ms. Kawakami sighed. "Very well. But I want you back in class, Ms. Takamaki."

"Yes, ma'am."

I held a hand to my head and followed Ann outside. Once I closed the door, I dropped my hand and saw Ann smile.

"Nice thinking," I said.

Ann's smile grew wider. "You gave me the opportunity with that big show of yours."

"What are you talking about? I really do have a headache."

I winked at Ann, which made her laugh. We linked up with Ryuji soon after and went to the rooftop together. We settled by the table next to the entrance and waited in silence, giving my headache time to subside.

If I'd come here without visiting Mementos, I'd be terrified. I still felt some lingering nerves, but standing here now, I was finally calm. I knew what I had to do, and I had nothing to be afraid of.

I heard the creaking of the fire escape before I saw Yusuke climb up the stairs. He'd arrived in time, and avoided suspicion. There wasn't much point in leaving him out, since this meeting could easily decide our future, and he was one of us.

"So this was your first hideout?" Yusuke asked. He smiled. "It's rather quaint, but all great movements have had humble beginnings."

Ryuji smiled. "You're right, dude."

"That's why we have to be on top of our game," I said. "Are you going to be alright, Ann?"

Ann stared at me with cold eyes, but I couldn't sense a hint of anger. "I'll be nice."

"Good." I smiled, and that caused a fleeting smile to slip past her facade.

"What about you?" Ryuji asked.

I pushed up my glasses. "I'll let Yusuke take point."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"You did a good job last time," I said. "And she won't try to make you dance on her strings."

He gave a short nod. "Then I shall do my best."

Fortunately, no one had any objections. Makoto wasn't our enemy, but she wasn't on our side either. If we were going to prove ourselves, we couldn't afford to show any weakness. We had to be on the same page.

That was when the rooftop doors opened, a minute before the bell was supposed to ring.

"Everyone's here," Makoto said, slightly surprised. "You shouldn't be ditching class, but the fact that you're all here means you're taking this seriously. Good."

She'd chosen to stand by the entrance, which made some sense. It gave her room to escape if things went wrong.

"Who is this criminal you want us to catch?" Yusuke asked.

"A mafia boss."

Ryuji clenched a fist. "Mafia?"

"Not yakuza or triad?" Yusuke said.

"What they call themselves isn't the issue," Makoto said. "They're the cause behind the recent rise in phishing scams, and once you're in their sights, they won't stop until they steal everything you own and destroy your life. If you don't co-operate, they'll target your families and anyone else you care about."

"Holy shit," Ryuji said, and I had to agree. I heard about people losing access to their bank accounts, and it sounded like it ran a lot deeper than just mere rumour.

"What about their targets?" Yusuke asked.

Makoto frowned. "They usually go after students. Some of the victims go to our school."

Ann gasped, holding a hand to her mouth. "But... shouldn't the police know this guy's name?"

"The victims are being forced not to testify, which is why the mafia was able to fly under the police's radar." She clutched the strap of her bag. "Do you see why this is so frustrating to deal with? I tried going to the principal, but without any hard evidence, he won't lift a finger."

"I can see where you're coming from," Yusuke said. "However, all we have to go on is what amounts to hearsay. Does this criminal even exist?"

"Of course he does," Makoto said, glaring at Yusuke. "They operate in Shibuya, and I can personally introduce you to the victims of these scams. If I had any more information, I would give it to you, but unfortunately, I don't."

Ryuji frowned. "We need a name to get started, you know."

"If you really are as righteous as you say you are, you'll pull it off."

My eyes trailed to my feet. She was asking a lot from us, but she wouldn't send us on a wild goose chase without a good reason, not when this case involved Shujin students. If nothing else, she did care about the school and its inhabitants.

"How long do we have?" Ann asked, keeping her voice carefully level. Her hand had dropped back to her side.

"You have two weeks. If you run out of time, I'll submit all the evidence I have to the authorities. I hope you don't let me down, for your sake."

Her red eyes tracked all around, examining each of us before we made eye contact. A wave of fear crashed against me, but I held steady. Makoto was her Shadow, but at the same time, she was more than her distorted desires. She could be reasoned with.

I took my hands out of my pockets. "That won't be necessary."

"I don't think you understand the situation here," Makoto said, taking a step towards me. "This is my only offer. If you refuse, then that's it for the Phantom Thieves."

"I believe our leader was alluding to something else," Yusuke said.

Makoto frowned. "Get on with it, then."

I gave Yusuke a nod before focusing entirely on Makoto. "You don't need an ultimatum to convince us to help you, because this is exactly the type of crime the Phantom Thieves were formed to stop. It's in our best interest to work together and stop this mafia gang."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?" She smiled that infuriating smile. "How do I know you're not just saying some pretty words to get on my good side?"

I could understand Makoto's struggles, but every time she spoke, I remembered why we still weren't allies. She was insanely good at getting under people's skin, and she was the most stubborn person I knew.

However, one person's stubbornness was another person's tenacity.

"Because treating you like you're some pushover isn't going to get us anywhere."

She froze, like a deer caught in headlights. "What did you say?"

"You're not a pushover," I said, taking another step towards her. "We have a lot more common than you think, and we've spent too much time fighting to realize that."

Makoto's hands were shaking, her eyes wavering. Then her gaze hardened, she steadied her fists and took a step forward.

"You're serious about this?"

I held eye contact for as long as possible, and I didn't quake in my shoes. She wasn't some hunter watching her prey, nor was she a ruler lording over her palace. She was just someone way in over her head.

All she needed was a helping hand.

I smiled, one that didn't need to be forced. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of fighting. I'd rather work with you and do some good."

Honestly, I wasn't sure what she'd do. I might have just given her the ammunition she needed to know that the Phantom Thieves were at her beck and call. When I looked at my friends, I saw the support in their smiles or relaxed posture. Even Ann's frosty gaze had warmed up a bit.

No matter what, I trusted them to help me see this through, and it was that trust – and the knowledge I now had – that gave me the confidence to give Makoto a chance.

"Thank you," Makoto said. A smile slowly grew on her face. The relief on her face was palpable. "I'm glad you want to work with me." Her smile faltered before it could bloom entirely. "But I want to make sure that everyone else is on the same page."

"I'm in," Morgana said, from inside my bag.

"I've no problems with joining forces," Yusuke said.

Ryuji grinned. "Neither do I."

Last, but certainly not least was Ann, who was lost in thought. Her pensive gaze was quickly replaced by a cold frown.

"No ultimatums?" Ann asked.

Makoto's stare hardened. "If you're willing to work with me, then no, I won't give you any ultimatums. But I'm not going to tolerate any disrespect from you."

Ann breathed in deep, letting it out slowly. "Okay. I can do that." She gave Makoto a tentative smile. "Let's give this a shot."

Makoto nodded. "In that case, I'll let you get to work. I will check in on you guys to see if you've cracked the case, but I can trust you to do your job."

She opened the rooftop door and left us to our lonesome. I reached inside my bag and helped Morgana onto his perch.

"That went better than I expected," he said.

Ann sighed. "Tell me about it."

"A mission like this would be exactly what we need to make a name for ourselves," Yusuke said.

Ryuji grimaced. "Yeah, but where do we start?"

It was a pretty daunting prospect to find someone who couldn't be caught, but we had a chance to prove ourselves on our terms.

I smiled. "Let's go to our hideout and find out."

* * *

The prosecutor's silence is deafening, her features precisely poised to reveal nothing. Seconds, minutes pass. Finally, she releases a soft breath.

"You truly seem to believe in the concept of justice, and if you're telling the truth, access to the Metaverse gave you the means to achieve it. However, instead of acting for the people, you came very close to taking justice into your hands. That temptation is something even I have fallen prey to."

This admission is a surprise, but the trickster does not pounce. She has not finished speaking.

"By seeing someone else grapple with issues you were currently facing, it allowed you to embrace knowledge you'd already intuited and accept your comrades' advice. Meeting with this... shadow turned out to be the catalyst for gaining what you needed most: perspective."

A smile adorns Sae's face. "As a result, you're now able to work with someone you considered an enemy."

The trickster nods. "Now you understand."

He has finally broken through. The vestiges of a bond begin to form.

"However, any new relationship is inevitably tested, and Makoto hasn't realized the error of her ways."

Sae's impassive mask returns. "How did you deal with her?"

* * *

Apparently, some shady guy in Shibuya would hand over an envelope that had to be delivered, in exchange for cash. A homeless man tipped me off on how to spot a mafia goon, warning me that they'd go to the ends of the earth to take all my money. It all sounded like those scams Makoto was talking about.

The others had split up to follow up on some rumours they heard about, and I went to help them out. However, I crossed paths with Makoto first.

"Hello," she said. We were next to the gym at the end of Central Street. "Made any progress finding you-know-who?"

I thought about saying something witty like 'Shibuya's a big place', but we were supposed to be working together. "Things are going well."

Makoto smiled. "That's good to hear."

Then right on cue, some guy with an overly confident demeanour came to ask us if we wanted to make some money. The conversation went reasonably well, until Makoto asked about suspicious materials, which only made him suspicious.

"So you won't answer me?" Makoto said. "Then I was right."

"What?" He stomped up to get in her face, and I had to act fast.

"Hold on a sec," I said. "You don't want to get worked up over nothing, right?"

Makoto's mouth hung open, but the mafia goon scoffed. "Yeah, sure. I was just messin' around. I got better things to do than hang around some kids."

"I-If you don't want to deal with us, maybe you can take us to someone higher up," Makoto said, eyes flickering over to me, then back to the goon.

"Nah, you'd just be wasting your time," the goon said. "I'm outta here."

I sighed. There went a potential lead. "Should we go after him?"

Makoto frowned. "We need proof first. I couldn't trick him into letting something slip, so we might have to do this another way."

"Let us handle this," I said. "That's why you recruited us, right?"

She looked at me with widened eyes. "You have a point. Thanks for standing up for me."

I smirked. "Just another day at the job."

This mafia boss trained his underlings pretty well. Makoto was good at getting people to fall for her traps, but she wasn't dealing with high school students. These were criminals the police had trouble catching. If she wanted results, she'd have to let us do the dirty work.

Unfortunately, Makoto had other plans. When I returned to Leblanc, I got a call from an unknown number.

"Hello?" Makoto asked.

My heart nearly keeled over. "How did you get this number?"

"I dug it up, before everything happened. I realize that I shouldn't have done that, so I wanted to say I'm sorry."

I stared at the picture of Sayuri to distract myself. "What's done is done."

"I know, but it didn't feel right to keep this from you."

I sighed, the paranoia that swarmed me leaving my system. "Thanks for telling me."

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow."

It turned out that she got my number from Sojiro, which was pretty terrifying. If she had pulled this stunt before I met her Shadow, it would just be another reason to take her down. However, she came clean about doing it and sounded truly sorry, so I decided to let it slide.

Bringing the mafia to justice was enough of a motive for us to stay the course, but if we had Makoto breathing down our neck, reminding us of our deadline every time we met, it wouldn't end well for anyone. Fortunately, we weren't working on borrowed time.

We slummed it at a karaoke bar the next day, and the awful music must have stimulated our brains, since it gave us the idea to contact Ichiko Ohya, a reporter who gave us some info on the Madarame case a month ago.

The problem was that she hadn't replied, and in between Makoto's increasingly frequent check-ins and the rise in mafia-related rumours, I was starting to get worried. What if Ms. Ohya never answered, or we failed to find the mafia boss? What if Makoto turned on us?

Frankly, Yusuke's calm attitude was a real help in keeping perspective, and during a lull in investigating, I decided to hang out with him. We took a trip to Mementos, and hearing him reveal his troubles and anxiety about his artistic slump was a reminder that he was still struggling. It was also proof of his trust in me.

When we left Mementos and dusk came, I was so grateful for Yusuke's steadfast support.

"Thank you for spending time with me today," Yusuke said.

I smiled. "Not a problem. You've helped me out a lot over the past few days, and I'd be more than happy to return the favour."

We shook hands, and I felt the bond of confidants form between us.

"We will find this mafia boss," Yusuke said. "Of that, I have no doubt."

Yusuke's call for patience paid off, and I got a reply from Ms. Ohya that night. We met at a bar in Shinjuku, after some detours involving police officers and fortune tellers. Ms. Ohya might've been a drunk, but she was sharp, and I counted my lucky stars that she was willing to help me out.

In exchange for setting up a meeting with my confidant Mishima to help her investigate Kamoshida's abuse, she gave me the name I was looking for: Junya Kaneshiro. We hit the jackpot.

Figuring out the keywords we needed to enter his Palace was no hassle at all. There was one huge problem: we couldn't get in. The bank was up in the sky and Morgana couldn't fly.

To make matters worse, Makoto was on our case the day after. Apparently, she saw us at our hideout and came in to check up on us, but she wasn't fooling anyone. Even Ryuji was pretty annoyed.

"You seem to be in quite a bit of trouble," Makoto said. "Need any help?"

Ann scoffed. "Not from you. You might be a big shot at Shujin, but as far this goes, you'd just get in our way."

Makoto gasped, and I thought she would've snapped at Ann, but she flinched and turned away. Then she got her resolve back and glared at all of us.

"So, you want to talk to Kaneshiro, don't you?" Makoto asked.

Ryuji frowned. "How'd you even find out who he was?"

He had a point. I certainly didn't tell her.

"You're not the only one capable of finding clues," Makoto said.

There was something off about her behaviour. I would have shrugged it off, except I knew what she was going through. It might have been a week since I confronted her Shadow, but I remembered it like it was yesterday.

"You asked us to help you," I said. "Trust us to see this through."

She frowned. "It's not that I don't trust you, but I can't stand around while you put yourself in danger. Please, let me help you."

I should have realized that trying to keep Makoto out of this case wasn't going to stop her from getting involved. She'd just do something reckless when backed into a corner, and that could easily spill over onto us.

"You really know where he is?" I asked.

"I can find out."

I looked into those stalwart red eyes of her, resolute and defiant. She really was determined to help us. It was better this way.

"In that case, you can come with us. But we agreed to work together, so don't feel like you have to do something daring."

Makoto winced. "I understand. I'll meet you at Central Street in ten minutes." She walked off, but she wasn't as stiff as before and she didn't have some dead-serious look in her eye.

"Are you sure this is the right idea?" Yusuke asked as soon as Makoto was out of earshot.

I shrugged. "I have no clue, but it's better than letting her make things worse for us."

We met up with Makoto at Central Street, where the goon who accosted us before was talking to an equally menacing accomplice.

"I'll handle this," I said.

Makoto frowned. "You don't have to."

"She's got a point," Ryuji said. "You sure you want to do this?"

I pushed up my glasses. "Just watch."

I didn't fight the goons, I didn't threaten to rat them out. I stressed that I had a history with under-the-table deals, but I didn't mention my relationship with Iwai. Mentioning Kaneshiro was enough to seal the deal.

"Alright, let's give the kid a shot," one of the goons said.

I was ushered into a black sedan. I took out my phone and sent a message to the Phantom Thieves' group chat: _I'm in. Don't follow. I'll be alright._

Then I turned off my phone, put it in my bag. I didn't want to push my luck with the mafia.

* * *

"So, you have some experience fencing hot goods?" Kaneshiro asked.

I nodded. "That's right. I heard about your business in Shibuya, and I thought it would be a good way to make some extra cash."

Kaneshiro smirked. "I'll admit, you have some balls, kid. But you see, I'm not sure if I should let you work for me. I already have other kids at my beck and call."

It wasn't easy, staying calm in a place like this. Kaneshiro might have been fat and sleazy with his gelled brown hair and purple suit, but there was a menace to him that made my skin crawl. That said, I had a job to do and I had already come this far, so there was no point in being afraid.

"What you need is organization. I have a reputation at Shujin for being a delinquent. If I act as a middleman there, the kids I work with will assume that they're making money from me instead of you, which will make them more willing to deliver your packages. After all, if something goes wrong, I take the fall."

The mafia boss' beady eyes were scrutinizing, calculating my value to his enterprise. When he looked away, he opened his briefcase, revealing stacks upon stacks of cold, hard cash.

"You remember those shoes you wanted?" Kaneshiro asked. It took me a second to realize he was talking to the gaudy woman next to him. "How much did they cost?"

"About 750 000," she said.

He pulled out a wad of bills. "Here's a million. Take the kid with you. Let him show you around."

The gaudy woman squealed. "Really? Thank you so much!"

Kaneshiro stared at me. "Here's your test. You want to work for me? Buy my girl her gifts. Then make that money back in three weeks. If you do that, you're hired."

"I'll do it," I said, my voice oddly level.

He smirked. "Good. Just to be sure..." He snapped a photo of me with his phone. "Let's call this collateral. I'm taking a risk letting you so close to me and spending my hard-earned cash, so if you act like a dumb shit and fail... You'd better hope that you don't, for your sake."

"I won't."

After buying the gaudy woman her gifts, I returned to Shibuya and grabbed my phone, turning it on to see a flood of messages. They were worried, which honestly sounded like an understatement.

My fingers flew on the touchscreen. _I'm safe. Meet me at the hideout._

"You're lucky I was there with you," Morgana said, after we finished reading through the chat.

I snorted. "Whatever you say."

Once I reached Makoto and my friends, I told them how my meeting with Kaneshiro went. He was a pretty intimidating guy, and if I wasn't one of the Phantom Thieves, I'd be worried sick about what he'd do to me or my friends. I was able to stand my ground without quailing in fear because I knew I'd find a way to take him down.

"Wow," Ann said.

"That was was pretty foolish," Yusuke said.

"I'm really sorry I got you dragged into this," Makoto said, frowning deeply.

I smirked. "It isn't the first time I've done something stupid to get ahead."

Ryuji frowned. "You can say that again. At least nobody got hurt."

Makoto chuckled, but this bit of self-depreciation wasn't enough to lift her spirits. "If you hadn't stepped in, I might have gone looking for Kaneshiro myself."

"It's a good thing you didn't," I said. "The only reason why this didn't go badly was because Kaneshiro was in a good mood."

She winced. "If I could be more useful to you guys, you wouldn't have to take such measures."

"Hey, enough of the blame game," Ryuji said. "What's done is done."

"It isn't," Makoto said. "I made you do all this just so I could say that I did something useful. All being president of the student council means is that the students treat me like a teacher's pet and the teachers treat me like I'm a child they can order around. And if that wasn't enough, my older sister thinks I'm useless."

"That can't be right," Ann said. "If she's really your sister, then there's no way she can ever think that way."

"I wish you were right. My sister has an amazing job and she's so remarkable, and since our father died, she was taking care of me. She has so much pressure on her, so it's easy for her to think that I'm an ungrateful parasite if I'm not happy with what I have. It doesn't help that it's the truth."

Yusuke frowned. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I suppose that's why you wanted to catch us."

"Yeah," Makoto said. She clutched her wrist. "Not only that, I knew something had to be going on with Kamoshida, all the signs were there. He must have been protected by the school. I could have done something to help, but I didn't care enough to try. He wasn't hurting anyone I knew, and I didn't want to risk my position. I really am the scum of the earth."

It was a heavy pill to swallow. I never expected her to just admit her troubles to us, and her story filled in some gaps I hadn't gleaned from her Shadow. She really was hurting, and I was glad I could actually see that.

"You aren't scum," Ann said. It seemed like she could see it, too. "If you were, you wouldn't be beating yourself up for other people's mistakes. You're trying to help us now, and that's all we can ask from you."

Makoto covered her mouth. "You really... thank you. That means a lot. But what are you going to do about the money?"

"We'll find a way to handle it," I said, though I wasn't sure how.

Morgana touched my neck with his paw. "You're one of Kaneshiro's customers now. That means you can get in his bank!"

My eyes lit up. Of course. We could get in and steal his Treasure, we could do it right now. We just had to get rid of Makoto so she didn't get in our way.

"In the meantime, let's get some rest," I said. "I want to check my bank account first."

Ann blinked. "Are you sure?"

"How else am I supposed to pay back Kaneshiro, flying in my money?"

Yusuke smiled. "Let us accompany you."

Ryuji glanced at us in confusion, but his eyes slowly widened. "Oh, yeah, you need security, right? After all, Shibuya isn't a safe place!"

Makoto took a step back. "Am I missing something here?"

Ann shook her head, a grin on her face. "Not really. We'll meet up with you tomorrow, okay?"

She frowned, staring at me for a bit. "Okay."

I waited until she was gone, then I pulled out my phone and went for a walk. My friends followed, and after opening the MetaNav, we stepped through the looking glass and entered Kaneshiro's Palace.

"Someone's here," Morgana said.

I saw her with my Third Eye. "What are you doing here?"

Makoto's red eyes bulged as she took in everything: our new outfits, Morgana, the distorted green sky, the floating bank. "Where... are we?"

She was in the Metaverse. There was no way we could play this off as some fever dream. "This is the world where we change people's hearts."

Fortunately, she was a smart cookie. After I explained how hearts were changed in the Metaverse, she got the gist of what we did. Of course, it took her time to process everything, and she stood slack-jawed for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"Well... I can't doubt something that's right in front of me," Makoto said.

I walked over to the floating bank and it dropped down to let me in. I faced Makoto. "Don't do anything rash. Do everything I say and you'll be fine."

She frowned. "I'm trained in aikido. I can defend myself."

"Aikido won't protect you from Shadows."

"And you will?"

"I will." I smiled, bolstered by confidence and authority I didn't have in the real world. "Trust me. I'll keep you safe."

She looked away, holding onto her elbow. "Fine. You're the expert here."

We were able to get inside, and Kaneshiro's Shadow gave us quite the welcome. We saw the stacks of cash in the reception room, fended off his guard of Shadows, and ran back to the entrance to fight another day. Unfortunately, we were trapped.

And Makoto was in the middle.

"Trying to steal from me before you can pay?" The Shadow clicked his tongue. "How crass. If you can't pay, why don't you help him, Ms. Niijima?

"How...?" Makoto asked.

"I have my ways, and I know a cash cow when I see one. I'll squeeze you dry, but all you have to do is endure it."

"Endure it..."

"Exactly. Do I say, instead of being such an irritating eyesore. Maybe your sister won't have to get involved."

"Leave my sister out of this!" she shouted. We'd kept her safe all this time, but our luck just ran out. Kaneshiro's Shadow was persistent, and this was a scenario she had no chance of preparing for.

"Or what?" the Shadow said. "I make the rules here, and in my world, you do as I say."

Makoto's body was heaving, in and out. She clenched her fists.

"Little kitty find her claws?" the Shadow taunted. "Fight all you want, but –"

"Shut the hell up!" Makoto shouted. "You're nothing but a greedy asshole, and I've had enough of your bullshit!"

She began to writhe and scream. When she took a step, the tiles shattered beneath her foot. A metal mask covered her eyes, and when she tore off her mask, she exploded in blue fire. Makoto was reborn atop an ethereal motorcycle, clad in grey biker fatigues and spiked shoulder pads.

"I am awake," Makoto said. "And I will never lose heart again."

Needless to say, Makoto wasn't a pushover any more. We beat down the Shadows together, and with her bike, she put the pedal to the medal and raced out of the Palace. Morgana transformed, letting us keep up. When we escaped from the Metaverse, Makoto was there, breathing heavily.

"Whatever that ass-whooping was, it sure wasn't aikido," Ryuji said.

"Please, stop," Makoto said, her whole face red. She sucked in a greedy breath, before standing up. "So this is what being a Phantom Thief is like." There was a fire in her eyes that burned with a frightening intensity. "I like it."

I smiled. "Me too."

Makoto was free, and she was ready to make the most of the freedom she'd seized.


	5. Chapter 5

Now that Makoto had a Persona, there was no way that we could keep her from entering the Metaverse. For that reason, I had her join our team. We could keep an eye on her while she got used to her new powers, and she could help us steal Kaneshiro's Treasure.

Giving Makoto a code name was pretty easy. She was christened Queen, because she held herself like one and her Shadow acted like a queen. Introducing her to life as a Phantom Thief, however, wasn't as simple.

"What about your strategy?" she asked, before we entered Kaneshiro's Palace.

"Strategy?" Ryuji repeated.

Makoto took a step back. "You're telling me that the Phantom Thieves were acting without any kind of plan?"

Morgana frowned, shifting from foot to foot. "Uh... I provide navigation when we need it."

Ryuji grinned. "And when we run into Shadows, we beat the shit out of them!"

I bristled. This wasn't going to impress her at all. "Due to their nature, we can't make plans for Palaces we haven't infiltrated. I make sure we're equipped to survive all of our missions. I give out the instructions during our fights so we can win as quickly and efficiently as possible. We're also careful not to get into too many fights, to preserve our stamina."

Makoto looked at me with wide eyes. "I see." She smiled. "I still think I'll be very useful."

Useful was almost an understatement. Makoto could analyze the data Morgana gave us to discern weaknesses with greater ease. She was a well-rounded fighter: strong and nimble, fairly durable, skilled at nuclear magic and a deft healer. She gave insight that helped us figure out the Palace's various puzzles at a faster rate.

One big problem came into clear view after we entered a safe room. We took time to breathe and I took stock of my progress, but Makoto was itching to leave.

"There's no time to relax," Makoto said. She stood over me, while I lounged in a chair. "We can still keep going."

I frowned. "I think we've gone far enough for today."

"Wouldn't it be prudent to get as far in as possible?"

"Not if we get beaten down in an unlucky fight," I said. "I don't want to take any chances."

Makoto's mask made her stare even more imperious. "We can afford to take more chances. You have me now. We make another push, we find another safe room, and we'll get closer to finding the Treasure. What's so hard to understand about that?"

"Hold on a sec," Ann said. "You're not going to win him over by force, Makoto."

"I'm just stating my opinion," she said.

"I know you are. I think we could make a push, too, but if we waste too much energy or we get stuck on a puzzle, it could be really bad for us."

Morgana nodded. "A leader has to consider the long game, not just short-term gains."

Makoto sighed. "I understand that. I just think you're all capable of so much more."

"Maybe we are, but we all have to make compromises," Ryuji said. "We're not in this for ourselves."

I stood up, assessing our available resources and current energy levels. I'd be taking a risk, but even if I was the leader, I could make compromises, too.

"We'll keep on going, as long as everyone agrees," I said.

That got a smile from Makoto. "Thank you."

Everyone else was willing to continue, so we all headed out. I grabbed Ann's wrist before she could leave.

"What is it?" she asked, turning my way.

I smiled. "Looking out for Makoto, now?"

She winked at me. "Someone has to." A frown marred her face. "I apologized to Makoto earlier today."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And she was sorry, too, you know? I called her a bitch behind her back, and I blamed her for stuff she couldn't control. She had her own issues to deal with, and while it doesn't justify what she did, I shouldn't have assumed she was automatically bad. I was completely unfair to her, and more than that, I was being a hypocrite."

"A hypocrite? What do you mean?"

"I heard a rumour that Makoto might have let Kamoshida get away with his abuse, and I never thought that they weren't true, because the possibility made me so mad. If I didn't get ahead of myself, I wouldn't have let those rumours shape how I saw her."

"I see." My smile slipped. "It wasn't right for you to think that way. I don't blame you, though: I wasn't any better. She didn't make it remotely easy for any of us, but I never gave her a chance, either. It's good that you realized that."

Ann frowned. "I probably wouldn't have if all of this hadn't happened. I thought I was getting better, but it looks like I have a long way to go."

"You've already come pretty far," I said. "And if you ask me, it's better that she's on our side."

Her smile returned. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

I caught myself staring at Ann's sky blue eyes. "Thank you for trusting me. Not just with this, but with everything."

Her smile grew more tender. She grabbed my fingers. Squeezed them. "That's what friends are for. I'm glad that you listened."

If I never listened, Makoto wouldn't be on our team. Working with her hadn't been easy, but it was worth doing, because helping people was exactly what the Phantom Thieves were made to do.

* * *

Learning to work with others wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do, and I knew that Makoto wanted to be respected. She was also very assertive and had a deep-seated desire to succeed, which led to us butting heads.

The solution I found was to value her opinion without letting her take charge, and by navigating that tightrope, Makoto was able to adjust to our team's dynamic. As a result, we made short work of Kaneshiro's Palace.

Kaneshiro never saw his defeat coming.

After that, life went on, as it always did. I continued to work on improving myself, hung out with my friends and confidants, and even took some trips to Mementos with the others. Time had a nasty habit of moving pretty quickly when you weren't keeping track, and before I knew it, the deadline Kaneshiro had imposed on me had finally come.

I wasn't afraid at all, because after school ended, he confessed to all of his crimes. We caught another criminal, and while the police took credit for his arrest, our stock was still on the rise. Now we just had to wait on Makoto to join us. She had a meeting with the principal, but I insisted she meet with us anyway. We could wait for her, and it was important that we celebrated together.

True enough, my patience paid off, and Makoto arrived at our hideout.

"Thanks for coming," I said. "How did your meeting go?"

Makoto smiled. "Pretty well. I didn't mention any of you, and as of today, I have officially concluded my investigation of the Phantom Thieves."

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji said, grinning.

Ann smiled. "One less thing to worry about."

It brought a smile to my face, too, and I could feel everyone's relief. We did it. We really did it.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Morgana asked.

Makoto took a step towards me. "I'd like to join the Phantom Thieves permanently. If you'd have me."

"What do you guys think?" I asked.

Ryuji clapped his hand against his fist. "I'm down. It wouldn't end well if Makoto didn't join us."

"I agree," Yusuke said. He smiled at Makoto. "You've been a great help."

"We might've had a rough start, but Makoto's proven herself," Ann said. "I'm in."

"So am I," Morgana said.

All eyes fell on me. It was time for me to say my piece.

"The Phantom Thieves were formed to help people in need and fight for a better society by exposing the truth to the world. Because of that, we hold ourselves to a high standard. If you join us, you'll be held to that standard, too. You'll join a team where you don't have to hide behind a mask, a place where misfits can truly belong."

I stared straight into her red eyes. "However, you must take responsibility for your decisions, no matter what happens. If you make a mistake, we'll help you improve, but there is no point in being a Phantom Thief if you lie to yourself, or any of us. Do you understand?"

Makoto nodded. "I do."

I smiled. "Then welcome aboard."

As leader, my decision held a significant amount of weight, and I thought long and hard about what to choose. On the one hand, Makoto had been a good teammate, she apologized for how she treated us during her investigation, and she really wanted to do good.

On the other hand, she had knowledge of the Metaverse and knew all of our identities. Since she gained a Persona, there was no way her heart could be changed. It would be trivial for her to ruin our lives.

But she wouldn't do so, and I could say that with the utmost confidence.

"Thank you very much," Makoto said. "I hope I can continue to get along with all of you, and be the best Phantom Thief I can be."

"I'm looking forward to seeing that."

There was just one more thing that I wanted to settle, and to do that, I needed some privacy.

"Can I talk to you for a bit, Makoto?" I asked.

Makoto blinked. "Sure. I'm not busy."

"Guess you guys want some alone time, huh?" Ryuji said, smiling.

"It won't take too long," I said.

Ann smiled. "Come on, guys, let's get some crepes."

"Can we get some Quelorie Magic to go with them?" Yusuke asked.

"Only if you're buying," Ann said.

Yusuke chuckled. "Very well."

Ann led Ryuji and Yusuke away from our hideout. Morgana stayed with me. I always wanted to try a crepe out, but the shop that sold them was always sold out. If they sold Quelorie Magic, too, I had to go there.

"What did you want to talk about?" Makoto asked.

I let out a deep breath, and stowed away any crepe-related thoughts. I pulled out a white envelope from my bag. "Here. This is for you."

Makoto took the envelope, carefully opening it from its side. Stacks of yen bills were held within, and she looked at me with startled eyes. "How much is this?"

"It should be enough for you to buy a new phone," I said.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept this." Makoto thrust the envelope back into my hands. "Besides, I already replaced my old phone." She unveiled a simple smartphone, and it made me wonder how she got it.

"Take it," I said, holding the envelope out to her. "You can use it for something else."

"Are you sure about this? This is a lot of money."

I shrugged. "It's the least I can do."

Makoto's eyes flickered between the envelope and me, then she gently took the envelope and placed it inside her bag.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry that I broke your phone," I said. "I shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"You shouldn't have," Makoto said. "But I didn't give you much of a choice, did I?"

I always had a choice. I just had to take a step back and assess my options, instead of letting fear and desperation make my choices for me.

"You didn't."

Makoto frowned. "I'm sorry that I pushed you so far."

"Why are you sorry? You already apologized to us."

Makoto's face fell. "I know, but I treated you a lot worse than I treated the others. I invaded your privacy, I tried to blackmail you, and I thought that I was justified because you were a delinquent who deserved that level of scrutiny. I never thought you were doing good, and when I found out, I was already in too deep. I'm sorry for how I treated you."

"Thank you," I said.

"No, thank you."

I still hated how Makoto had made me feel so powerless, how she pushed me to make all those choices and double down because I believed it was the only way out. It had been an awful time. But I could tell that Makoto was sincere, that she wanted to right her wrongs.

"There's just one thing that's been bothering me."

I raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Back when we met on the rooftop, you said that there wasn't any point in treating me like a pushover. It was so specific, it was almost like you read my mind." She clutched the strap of her bag. "Did you talk to my Shadow or something?"

"I did."

Makoto sighed. "I had a feeling that was the case. I used what I knew against you, so it shouldn't be a surprise that you returned the favour."

A smile cracked my face. "That's why I did it."

"Also... I saw a black blur when I was talking to the principal." She stared at Morgana. "Were you involved, Morgana?"

"Yeah," Morgana said, bowing his head.

"I asked him to do it for me," I said, sobering up pretty quickly. "I did things I wasn't proud of doing because I wanted to beat you. I assumed you were our enemy, but you weren't, and meeting your Shadow helped me realize that."

She smiled. "I see. We've both done things we shouldn't have, but the least we can do is learn from them. That's what Phantom Thieves do, right?"

"That's right."

Makoto stared at me for a bit, like she was gathering her nerve. "Do you mind if we started over? I'm not saying you should forget what we went through, and I'm not asking to be your friend. All I want is for you to give me a chance."

Saying yes didn't mean we were buddies. It wouldn't wipe the slate clean. This was a chance for Makoto to prove herself, a chance for us to start fresh and see where things went.

I smiled. "I'd like that."

We shook hands, forging a bond of confidants signified by the High Priestess. It fit.

By trusting my friends, I was able to accept the High Priestess' insight. And by realizing I couldn't earn true freedom alone, I was able to grow and become the person I needed to be.

 **The End**


End file.
